One More Breath
by Piper Elizabeth
Summary: Daryl and Merle are on their own, trying to survive, when they come across a blond girl in need of help. What will happen when Daryl insists that she come with them and he starts feeling more than he should? (Takes place in the zombie apocalypse, but does not really follow the show). Bethyl
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** One More Breath

**Rating:** T for some language and violence

**Disclaimer:** The Walking Dead and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement. I only use them as a means to de-stress myself.

**Summary:** Daryl and Merle are on their own, trying to survive, when they come across a blond girl in need of help. What will happen when Daryl insists that she come with them and he starts feeling more than he should? (Takes place in the zombie apocalypse, but does not really follow the show). Bethyl

**Chapter 1**

The arrow sailed through the air and hit its target with one-hundred percent accuracy. The walker crumbled. Daryl knew he would have to retrieve the arrow eventually. After all, he couldn't exactly go to the nearest store and pick up some more. Every arrow was important. Every arrow meant one more breath he got to take. But retrieving the arrow was going to have to wait. A second walker approached Daryl from the left. Realizing it was too close for him to get a good shot, he whirled his crossbow around and hit the walker square in the face. The head caved in with a fracturing crunch. Daryl stepped back as it fell at his feet. Glancing to his right, he saw his brother battling an emaciated female walker. Merle was teasing her, taunting her to get closer. He bounced back and forth on his feet like a boxer. When she lunged towards him, he hit her hard with the butt of his gun. She definitely wasn't worth wasting a bullet. It was then Daryl saw a fourth walker approaching Merle from behind. He lifted his crossbow, aimed, and fired. The walker dropped to the ground.

"I had that one!" Merle shouted.

"Yeah, right," Daryl yelled back, turning his attention back to two walkers as they approached him. He kicked the one closest to him, sending him falling on its back. While the walker tried to get up, he hit the other with an upper cut. She too joined the walker on the forest floor. Daryl stomped on both their skulls. Blood and guts oozed out, sticking to his shoes. The smell was unbearable. That was the worst part about killing walkers. The smell.

"Leave some for me, little brother," Merle said as he took out another walker, this time with the knife he always kept strapped to his hip.

"Score's five to two," Daryl replied.

"Won't be for long!"

Merle plunged his knife into another walker's forehead. It was a game they played. Who could kill the most walkers when they were surrounded. It seemed ludicrous to care who killed what. After all, the bottom line was survival. But it made killing walkers tolerable if you thought about it as some kind of game.

It took them another fifteen minutes before every walker was dead at their feet. They both stood, back to back so they could see every angle around them, panting. Killing walkers was hard work. Neither of them had lowered their weapons. Rule number one to surviving a walker attack was always be prepared.

"Still beat ya," Daryl said.

"Only by one."

"Two," Daryl corrected. "That last one was mine."

"The hell she was. My knife went through her before your arrow even left your bow."

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Tell me something, little brother, if your arrow went through first as you claim, how the hell did I even manage to stab her then?"

"Luck."

"You're lucky I don't turn around and kick your ass right now."

"Yeah? What's stoppin' ya?"

Merle laughed. "Let's get outta here. This place is startin' smell."

"I thought that was you," Daryl said.

Merle turned and threw his arm around Daryl's neck, capturing him in a headlock. Daryl protested and sputtered, turning his body every which way to get Merle to let him go, but he held on tight. Merle dragged him for a few yards before finally letting him go. Daryl slugged him hard in the arm, but then they both composed themselves and started walking.

It had been like that for months, since the world had turned to hell. It had just been Daryl and Merle, two brothers on a mission to stay alive. When they weren't killing walkers, they were practically killing each other. They would insult each other or get pissed at each other, have a little scuffle, and then walk it off like nothing had happened. That's really how they had lived their entire lives. Daryl couldn't remember a time when he and Merle weren't fighting over something stupid. Everything was a competition. That's just the way it was.

It was starting to get dark, the sun beginning to dip below the tree line. Daryl guessed it was about seven. They probably had about an hour before the sun went down completely and they were left in the dark. There was no way of knowing what time it really was. He couldn't remember the last time he had looked at a clock or a watch, but Daryl didn't need to know the time. It barely mattered anymore anyway. The only sense of time that mattered was when it was time to rest or time to run.

"We need to find somewhere to stop," Merle said.

"Yeah," Daryl agreed.

It was best not to be caught out in the dark. Even with someone keeping watch, things had a better chance of creeping up on you in the dark. And it wasn't just walkers you had to worry about. Other people were sometimes more of a danger than any walker.

"Maybe we should find the road. Might come across a house or somethin'," Merle suggested.

"I think we should stay in the woods. Houses don't cause nothin' but trouble."

"Houses have beds, food, supplies."

"Fine, but I ain't goin' nowhere infested with walkers. We almost didn't make it out the last time."

The last house they had found had been teaming with walkers. They were both so sure of themselves that they could handle anything, they went in with little planning. At first they were able to pick off the walkers one by one, but when they got trapped in the kitchen with the walkers blocking the only exit and more and more of them coming in, they weren't sure they would get out alive. If it hadn't been for a far off gunshot in the distance, they would have turned into walkers themselves that night. Enough of the walkers went off after the sound for Daryl and Merle to kill the few that were left and get out of the kitchen. The next day as they traipsed through the woods, they found a body, ripped to shreds by the walkers. A gun sat right next to it.

"Fine," Merle agreed.

They walked in silence out of the woods. As the road came into view, they slowed their pace. They knew they had to be careful when approaching a road. No telling who or what could be out there. Daryl stepped out first, looking both ways. He didn't see anything. No walkers, no people, not even any abandoned cars. They started walking along the edge of the road, staying close enough to the woods that they could run back into the trees if necessary. Both Daryl and Merle felt more comfortable in the woods than anywhere else. It was practically where they had grown up.

"I see something," Daryl said after they had walked for about a mile. Although it was getting darker, he could see the outline of a building in front of them. They walked towards it. As they got closer, they realized it was an old barn. It looked like it had been abandoned long before walkers began walking the earth.

"Don't look like it's gonna have beds," Merle groaned.

"We can't walk any further. It's getting' too dark. This'll have to do."

They approached the barn slowly, not knowing what to expect. Sometimes the best way to detect a walker was by sound. They both listened for the moaning and groaning of the undead, but didn't hear anything.

"You ready?" Merle asked.

Daryl put his hand on the handle of the barn door. He locked eyes with his brother. Merle had his gun out, ready for whatever was behind the door. As Daryl was about to open the door, he heard a blood curling scream.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading. I expect this story will be about 16 chapters long and there will of course be a lot of Bethyl. Please don't forget to review – I love reading what everyone thinks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The scream echoed through his mind. It sounded so wrong, so desperate. It was the scream of someone needed help. More specifically, it was the scream of a woman needing help. Daryl and Merle had heard screaming before. There were times they heard someone yelling, screaming, begging, but he and Merle never helped. Helping meant getting yourself killed.

"No! No!" The woman shouted.

The sound was definitely coming from inside the barn. Daryl hung his head and took his hand off the wooden door handle. Whoever was inside, he couldn't help. He watched as Merle lowered his gun. They both knew they were going to have to find somewhere else to spend the night.

"She's a good one," he heard a man say over the sound of her screaming.

Daryl immediately looked up again at the door. He hadn't expected to hear a man's voice. Especially not the voice of a man that sounded so hopeful and happy while a woman was screaming. He expected to hear walkers moaning and feeding on a fresh kill, but not a man's voice. Whoever the woman was, she wasn't screaming because she was about to become a walker snack.

"Haven't found one like her in a long time," a distinct second man's voice yelled.

"Let go of me! Get off! No!"

"You want to go first?" One of the men asked.

She screamed for a third time. The sound seemed to hit Daryl in a place he hadn't really felt before. It went straight through his heart.

"Let's go," Merle whispered. As Merle turned to walk away, Daryl didn't move. "Come on, brother. We can't do nothin'. We gotta worry about ourselves."

Daryl knew Merle was right. The smart thing would be to walk away, but he couldn't. He put his hand back on the door handle.

"We gotta help her," Daryl said quietly.

"You wanna get us killed to save some broad?"

Daryl could hear the struggle inside. He heard a crash and then a man swearing. He heard the sound of someone running followed by the sound of someone being chased down. There was another loud sound and a cry. He guessed she had been tackled to the ground. He heard her begging for her life.

"We can't just sit back and let them hurt her," Daryl insisted.

"We sure as hell can."

Merle grabbed Daryl's arm, but he shook it free. He was not going to walk away. Not when he felt the need to help. Something about the situation told him he had to go inside and save the woman no matter what the cost.

"Either help me or get out of my way," Daryl sneered.

With his crossbow out and ready, he flung open the barn door. He immediately looked around at the scene before him. The woman was face down on the dirt floor, only a few feet away from Daryl. There were two men. One was sitting on her, using his weight to hold her down. The other was standing over her with a gun pointing to the back of her head. They both turned when they heard the door open.

"Put it down," Daryl commanded, pointing his crossbow at the man with the gun.

"What have we got here?" The man with the gun asked.

"Put it down," Daryl repeated.

"You tryin' to be a hero? Superman or somethin'? Or you just want a piece of the action?"

"Let her go," Daryl commanded.

"Not gonna happen. You see, we've been trackin' this sweet piece of ass for a full day now. She's ours."

Daryl glanced down at the woman. Her face was pressed into the dirt so he couldn't really see her. Her wrists had been bound with rope behind her back, but that didn't stop her from struggling against the man on top of her. As she tried to lift her head, the man forced her face back into the dirt.

"I don't see it that way," Daryl said calmly. He really had no clue what the hell he was going to do. He was outnumbered. He knew he could probably take out the man with the gun with one shot, but not before the man would probably be able to pull the trigger and end the woman's life.

"You're startin' to really bug me," the man with the gun said. He pointed the gun straight at Daryl.

"Why don't you mind your own business," the man on the ground said. "Leo, take him out."

Leo, the man standing with the gun, pulled back the safety. Daryl was about to pull the trigger on his crossbow, when he saw a shadow emerge behind Leo. Before anyone knew what was happening, Merle slit the man's throat. With blood gushing from his neck, the gun dropped to the ground and Leo collapsed.

"What the…" the man on the ground began.

Before he could finish his sentence, Daryl shot an arrow into his forehead. He fell on top of the woman. Her cries were muffled by the dirt. Daryl dropped his crossbow and skidded to his knees beside the woman. Merle took care of driving a knife into the head of the man with the gun, making sure he wouldn't return as a walker.

"Hold on," Daryl said as he rolled the man's body off of the woman.

As soon as the weight was off of her, the woman rolled onto her back, sat up, and pushed herself away from Daryl. He was shocked at what he saw. She was barely a woman. He hadn't expected her to be that young. He guessed she was only eighteen or nineteen. Her face was a mess. All he could really see in the darkness of the barn was dirt mixed with blood oozing from a deep head wound above her right eye. But it was her eyes that mesmerized him. Her petrified, blue eyes stared back at him. They were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

"Jesus," Merle muttered, looking over the young girl.

"It's ok," Daryl assured her. He could see her body shaking. She scrambled to her knees, her hands still tied behind her back. Daryl noticed the tanktop she was wearing was torn at the shoulder. It was being held up by only one, thin strap on the right side. Only taking his eyes off her for a second, Daryl motioned for Merle to give him his knife. He did with a roll of his eyes.

"Leave me alone," she said with as much force as she could muster. The only trouble is, she didn't sound very forceful. She sounded frightened.

"I ain't gonna hurt you," Daryl assured her.

He approached her, but she crawled on her knees backwards away from him.

"Leave her," Merle said.

"I just wanna cut that rope," Daryl explained. "Can't survive out here with your hands tied behind your back."

This time as he got closer to her, she didn't move. She held her breath as he moved behind her. He cut the ropes with one quick motion and then went back to where he was standing before. He handed Merle back his knife. She rubbed the sore spots on her wrists where the rope had cut in.

"Can we go now?" Merle asked impatiently.

"What's your name?" Daryl questioned, ignoring his brother.

He could see her looking around, scanning the ground for something. It was difficult to see in the dark. Finally she stopped looking. Daryl followed her gazed and saw what she was looking for. A shiny object was in the corner of the barn. As soon as she saw that he saw it too, she got to her feet and dove for it. Daryl got there first. He held up the knife.

"Give me my knife," she stated.

Daryl flipped it around in his hand and held it out to her so that the handle was facing her. She grabbed it quickly.

"So now you're givin' her a weapon?" Merle asked. "What the hell are we still doin' here? You saved the damsel in distress. Now let's go."

"I ain't no damsel in distress," she insisted.

"That right, sweetheart? Because it seems to me that we just saved your life. Or at least your virtue." Merle walked right up to her. She held out her knife at him. "I think we deserve a reward. I can think of somethin' I've been missin'. These last few months have been pretty lonely and…" he reached out his hand to stroke her blonde hair. She slapped it away. Merle grabbed for his knife at his hip.

"Merle!" Daryl yelled.

Merle gave her a cocky smile. "Maybe some other time, sweetheart." He stepped away from her and over to the door. He made sure it was securely latched before making his way to the back corner of the barn. "If we're gonna stay here with her, I'm getting' some sleep." He grabbed a few empty potato sacks and laid them out on the floor. He flopped himself down and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry 'bout that," Daryl apologized. He noticed she still hadn't lowered her knife. "My brother can sometimes be an ass."

"I heard that!" Merle yelled.

"I'm Daryl," Daryl introduced himself. "And that, as you already know, is Merle. You got a name?" She didn't answer. "Well, I'll tell you what. Me and Merle are gonna stay here for the night. You're welcome to stay with us or try your luck out there on your own in the dark. Your choice."

Daryl walked over to one of the posts in the middle of the barn. He sat down and leaned against it. He watched as she glanced towards the barn door, obviously thinking about her options. Eventually, she sat down right where she stood.

"Beth," she said quietly. "My name is Beth."

Author's Note: Let the Bethyl-ness begin!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The first thing Daryl noticed when he woke up was she was gone. He looked around the entire barn, but she was nowhere to be seen. It was the barn itself that eventually caught his eye. In the daylight he could tell that the barn was mostly dilapidated. The roof was sagging, there was evidence of water damage, and there were large cracks in the walls. They were lucky it hadn't collapsed on their heads overnight. Daryl sat up, wondering how he had missed her sneaking out. He glanced over and saw Merle still sleeping in the corner.

Daryl stood up and grabbed his crossbow. He walked across the barn to the door. He noticed it was slightly ajar. Whenever she had left, she had left the door unsealed and that angered him. As he opened it a crack more to take a cautious look outside, he saw her. She was standing several yards away at the edge of the forest, picking something. He could hear her humming quietly to herself. For a moment, he watched her. It was the first time he had gotten a good look at her. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail. Her body was petite and slim, but with the Jean shorts she was wearing, Daryl could also see muscle definition in her legs. He enjoyed the view as she reached above her head to get berries higher on the bush. As he took a step, a branch snapped beneath his foot. Startled, she whirled around.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

She walked back towards him cautiously, stopping a few feet in front of him. She held dozens of berries in a makeshift pouch she made with the bottom of her tank top.

"You didn't," she insisted even though they both knew it was a lie.

"I thought you'd left," he said.

"I thought about it."

"What stopped you?"

She shrugged. She picked a berry from her makeshift pouch and popped it into her mouth. She picked out another one and held it out to him.

"Berry?" She offered.

"How do you know they're edible?" He asked even though he knew the answer already. He had been living in the forest long enough to know what you could and could not eat. He just wanted to know how she knew. She didn't exactly seem like the type of girl who spent a whole lot of time in the wilderness before the walkers came. As matter of fact, she didn't seem like the type of girl who should still be alive.

She shrugged again.

"Don't talk much do you?" He asked. She didn't answer. "Are you with anyone? A group?"

"I was."

"What happened?"

She didn't have the chance to answer as Merle emerged from the barn.

"Well, good mornin', sweetheart," he said with a crooked smile plastered on his face.

"We should get movin'," Daryl suggested. "This place ain't structurally sound."

"We?" Merle asked. "She ain't comin' with us."

"She can if she wants," Daryl replied. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he wanted her to come. Maybe it was because there was safety in numbers or because he was tired of just having his brother for company. Whatever the reason, he knew he wasn't going to leave that spot until she agreed to go with them.

"No. Ain't takin' along no walker bait. We'll be dead before the day is up if we take her with us."

"Wait a minute…" Daryl began.

Beth reached for her knife. With one hand still cupping the berries inside her shirt, she threw the knife with her other hand. It whizzed right past Merle's right ear and stuck in the side of the barn.

Both Merle and Daryl looked at the knife and exchanged a glance. If the knife had landed even an inch to the left, it would have taken off Merle's ear. It took skill to throw a knife that precisely.

"Fine," Merle finally said, giving in. "You can come, but keep up."

He stormed off towards the direction of the woods. Daryl waited, seeing what Beth was going to do. She glanced at him. On the outside, he seemed mean like his brother. He had hard edges and he dressed like he was in a biker gang. He was everything her father had warned her about since she had discovered boys. But there was something different about him. His eyes were warm. His eyes told her that she didn't need to be afraid.

Beth retrieved her knife from the barn wall and set off after Merle. Daryl smiled and followed.

"Stop," Daryl commanded hours later. Standing just in front of him, Beth stopped. She was thankful for the reprieve even though she would never admit it out loud. She needed to prove to them that she was just as capable of surviving as they were.

They had been walking all morning and on into the afternoon with Merle in the lead, followed by Beth, and Daryl taking up the rear. Usually he and his brother fought over who would make the decisions about where they were headed, but for once Daryl didn't mind being in the back. He had a nice view of the young woman in front of him.

As they walked, nobody spoke. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on them. All three of them were sweating, thirsty, and hungry, but no one complained. Those were three constants in their new lives since the walkers.

"Why are we stoppin'?" Merle asked.

"I hear…water," Daryl answered. "A stream maybe. We gotta stop. Get hydrated."

Daryl headed off to his left. He followed the sound of the rushing water as well as the signs. Several different animal tracks led in that direction. It was a sure sign there was water up ahead. Daryl also hoped it might be a good place to hunt. They had long since finished the berries Beth had picked.

After only a few more minutes of walking, they found the stream Daryl had heard. It was small, but the water was fast moving. Daryl dropped to his knees beside the stream and cupped his hands in the cool water, allowing the water to fall into his hands. He brought the water to his mouth and drank it. Beth and Merle did the same. After she had taken a few sips, Beth splashed her face with the water. The dried dirt on her skin began to turn to mud.

Daryl watched her try to wash the blood and dirt off her face. Not for the first time, he noticed the cut on her forehead. He knew it should be tended to. She probably didn't even have any idea how bad it was. Daryl dipped his red handkerchief in the water. He took the couple of steps over to where Beth was squatting. He attempted to press it against her cut, but she immediately went on the defensive and stood up, backing away from him.

"It's ok," he said. "You got a nasty cut. It's gotta get cleaned."

Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the grass. Daryl kneeled in front of her. He gently placed the wet cloth against the gash. She hissed as the cloth made contact with her wound.

"Sorry," Daryl apologized, knowing it must have been painful.

He carefully began to wipe away the blood and dirt in and around the cut. She made no noise.

"Real trooper, eh?" Merle said, approaching them both. "What the hell turned you hard as stone, sweetheart?"

"Why don't you see if you can hunt somethin'," Daryl suggested. "Saw some rabbit and squirrel tracks back there. Maybe you can find somethin'. Take the bow."

Although he very rarely gave up his bow, he didn't want Merle bothering Beth. He had seen Merle hit on countless women at bars and seedy night clubs before, but watching him bother Beth bothered him.

Merle took Daryl's crossbow and sauntered off in search of their dinner. Daryl continued to clean Beth's cut. He knew it needed to be probably dressed in order for it to heal properly, but they didn't have that luxury. He just hoped they could keep it relatively clean to avoid infection.

"Might wanna…clean yourself up a bit," Daryl suggested, glancing quickly towards Beth's chest. She looked down, realizing just how much her ripped tank top was revealing. She had always been taught to dress modestly, but with only one strap still attached, her tank top was leaving very little to the imagination. Not only that, but she was absolutely filthy.

"Here, use this." Daryl handed her his handkerchief. "I'm gonna set up camp. This is good a place to stop as any. Least we got fresh water."

Before he took off to set up their usual perimeter of rope with cans hanging off of it, he took one last look at her. With her face cleaned, Daryl saw just how damn pretty she was.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading and for all of the amazing reviews I've been receiving! I know Beth isn't a knife thrower in the show, but I wanted to add it I to give her character a little something extra!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

He couldn't help but notice her. The way the sun shone on her blonde hair. The subtle way her hips swayed when she walked. The pale skin on her bare shoulder that had turned pink in the sun. Her almond-shaped eyes as she glanced over at him. She had caught him staring several times. He would always look away sheepishly and go back to doing whatever it was that he was pretending to be doing. He had never been that mesmerized by a woman before. He blamed it on the fact that he hadn't been around female company in months, but something inside him told him it was more than that.

Daryl tried to busy himself with making a perimeter around their little campsite. He strung up rope from tree to tree and attached cans every few feet. It was the best zombie protection they had in the middle of the night - early detection. She wandered around the makeshift camp, picking berries when she could find them, gathering firewood, and collecting leaves. They worked in silence. Although not much of a talker himself, Daryl realized she hadn't said more than ten words to him all day.

As the sun went down, Daryl took some of the sticks she had found and began to start a small fire. It was never a good idea to make a big blaze because it seemed to attract walkers, but he knew they'd need a fire to cook whatever Merle came back with. They hadn't seen Merle in hours, but Daryl wasn't worried. His brother could take care of himself and he knew from personal experience that sometimes a hunt took a long time.

Beth focused on laying out the leaves she had gathered. Daryl realized she was making some kind of bed. As he watched her, he saw her shiver. The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees since the sun had started to go down and it would drop even more by the time night came. He realized, not for the first time, that she was still in just shorts and the ripped tank top that she had managed to tie together so that it wasn't so revealing.

Leaving the fire, Daryl opened his pack. He didn't have much. A spare change of clothes, a water bottle that he had filled by the stream, and an extra knife, but it was more than she had. Daryl took the extra T-Shirt he had out of the bag and walked over to her. She jumped to her feet as he approached. He held the T-Shirt out to her.

"It ain't much, but it'll be warmer than what you go on," he said.

She stared at the piece of clothing. Goose pimples had already begun to sprout on her arms. She couldn't deny that she was cold, but she didn't know if she should take the garment or not. Her father had warned her that in the world they lived in now, nothing was free. If she took the T-Shirt from her, would he expect something in return?

"Take it," he said. "No sense in you freezing out here."

Beth looked into his eyes and saw the same tenderness she had seen that morning beside the stream. She took the T-Shirt from him.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Daryl turned his back and went back to trying to start a fire. Beth slipped the T-Shirt over her head. It was too big, but it didn't matter. She couldn't help but notice that it smelled like him. Woodsy and masculine. She closed her eyes and breathed it in.

They both froze when they heard footsteps approaching. Beth grabbed her knife from her hip holster while Daryl reached for his crossbow.

"Winner winner, chicken dinner," Merle announced as he stepped over the rope that surrounded the camp. He was holding two dead squirrels in his hands."

"That ain't chicken," Daryl replied.

"Shut up and get the fire goin'." He glanced over at Beth. "She wearin' your clothes now?"

"She was cold," Daryl stated.

"Uh-huh. Rule of thumb, little brother. Never let a woman wear your clothes. Makes 'em think they own you."

Merle got to work skinning the squirrels while Daryl continued his work on the fire. He glanced over at Beth. Even as dirty and dingy as his T-Shirt was and as much as it hung on her petite frame, it did look damn good.

After Daryl got the fire going and Merle finished skinning the squirrels, they roasted them over the fire on sticks. Merle took the larger squirrel for himself leaving Daryl and Beth to share the smaller one. He mumbled something about not giving his good food to someone who was basically "walker bait."

Beth took her part of the squirrel and slunk off to the corner where she had made her bed of leaves. Using her fingers, she picked every bit of meat off the small body. She had never imagined in a million years she would ever eat squirrel, but nothing had ever tasted so good.

Daryl watched her as he devoured his own squirrel. Making up his mind that their cone of silence could go on no longer, he picked up his water bottle and brought it over to her. He sat down beside her and dropped the bottle in her lap. She shifted away from him slightly.

"Thanks," she said as she took the bottle and pressed it to her lips. She took a long, slow drink.

"So how does a girl like you survive out here by herself?" Daryl asked.

"A girl like me?"

"You don't exactly seem like the killer type."

"I do what I gotta do. And I ain't walker bait. I can take care of myself."

"That little knife demonstration this mornin' proved that. Where'd you learn to throw like that?"

"My daddy taught me," she answered. Daryl could hear the sadness in her voice as she spoke. Everyone he had ever encountered seemed to have that sadness in them. Everyone had lost someone.

"He gone?" She didn't answer. "How'd you end up alone?"

"Things went to hell," she answered.

He waited, expecting her to elaborate, but she didn't.

"You really ain't much of a talker, are you?"

"What about you? How'd it end up just you and your brother?"

"Always been that way. We went out drinkin' one night, passed out, and when we woke up, the world had turned to shit. Been just the two of us ever since."

"I was with my family," she said, looking down at the ground. "We stayed on our farm. Things were good...well, as good as things can be. My momma got bit early on, but I still had my daddy and my brother and sister. Then one night they just came. There were too many of 'em. We tried to fight back, but it was no use. First my brother went down, then my daddy. Don't know what happened to my sister, Maggie."

"How'd you get out?"

"I stayed as long as I could, but then I just ran. First time in my life I thanked God I was on the track team in school."

Daryl looked down at her shapely legs. They were definitely the legs of a runner.

"I'm sorry," he said. "How long you been on your own?"

"Ten days maybe. I didn't have nothin' with me and I didn't know where to go, but I just kept running from place to place. When I found the barn, I thought it would be a good place to stay the night. Didn't know those two men were followin' me. As soon as I laid down to get some sleep, they came after me. If you hadn't come along…" she trailed off. "Most people woulda kept on walkin' if they heard me screamin', but you didn't. Why?"

Daryl had been asking himself the same question. Why had he stopped to help her when he had let so many others meet their unfortunate fate?

"The whole world's gone to hell," he said. "Might not be able to help people when they get into a mess with walkers, but I ain't gonna let nobody brutalize an innocent woman for no reason other than to get their rocks off."

Beth looked up at him. "Thank you," she said.

"You should get some sleep. We've gotta keep movin' in the mornin'."

Daryl stood up.

"Daryl?" He turned back to look at her. With the campfire having been extinguished, he could barely make out her features in the dark. "I ain't so innocent."

With that, she laid down, leaving Daryl to wonder what exactly she meant.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next morning was more of the same. They woke up with the sun, gathered their few belongings, and headed off. All three of them knew they really had no destination. There was no telling what lie ahead of them, but they couldn't stand still, and there was no use going back. This time, Daryl led the way with Beth keeping pace just a few steps behind him. Merle took up the rear.

"You're leading us back towards the road," Beth realized after they had walked for several hours.

"We need to find a store or house or somethin' for supplies," Daryl replied.

"What supplies?" Merle asked. "We got everythin' we need."

"Medical supplies."

"Why? We ain't hurt," Merle stated.

"She is. If we don't fix up that cut, it'll get infected. Plus we could use some better clothes and blankets. Gets cold at night."

Daryl thought of the T-shirt he had given her the night before. He had found it that morning, neatly folded and inside his pack. She was back to wearing her ripped tank top.

"You mean, _she_ gets cold at night," Merle corrected. "Wouldn't need no supplies if it weren't for her."

"Really, I'm fine," Beth insisted.

"We're gettin' those supplies," Daryl said.

"Who made you boss?" Merle questioned.

Daryl stopped and turned to face his brother. Merle marched right up to him, putting his face in Daryl's face.

"I said we're stoppin'," Daryl said.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Merle retorted.

Merle shoved him hard. Daryl retaliated with a shove of his own. Beth stepped back, watching the fight with wide eyes. Merle swung with his right hand, but Daryl maneuvered out of the way. He ducked low and barged into Merle, taking him down. Merle landed on his back with Daryl on top of him. Daryl raised his fist to punch him.

"Stop!" Beth yelled. Both of them men looked over at her. "There's enough violence around without you two beating each other up!"

Daryl scrambled off Merle as if he had been yelled at by an overbearing mother. Merle got to his feet, dusting himself off.

"We are goin' to find those supplies," Daryl said before taking off down the road. Beth took one last look at Merle before hurrying to catch up with Daryl.

"You ok?" She asked.

"Fine," Daryl answered.

"I'm sorry that I'm causing so many problems. I could…"

"Don't worry 'bout it. Merle and I get into it all the time. If it wasn't about stoppin' for supplies, it'd be about somethin' else."

"I really am fine. I don't need any…"

Daryl stopped. "You seen that cut on your head?" Beth shook her head. Of course she hadn't seen it. There weren't exactly mirrors hanging off the trees for her to look at. "Well, I see it. I see that it's deep and still bleedin'. I see that if we don't find somethin' to clean it with, you ain't gonna be much use pretty soon. So we are goin' to find what we need and then we'll be on our way."

Beth absently touched the cut on her forehead. She cringed. She knew it was bad, but hadn't known just how bad it really was.

Daryl continued to walk, hoping they would find what they needed without much trouble. He didn't look back, but could hear Merle trudging along behind them. When they came to the edge of the woods, Daryl saw a gas station ahead of them in the distance.

"It's probably already been ransacked," Beth said.

"Won't know for sure 'til we take a look," Daryl replied.

They slowed their pace as they walked towards the gas station. They each had their weapons out, ready in case anything was to go wrong. Daryl put his hand up, stopping the others. He listened, but didn't hear anything. He took a good look around. The windows had been shattered. The door was off its hinges. He picked a stick up off the ground and approached the door slowly. He banged the stick against the side of the door, making as much noise as possible. Then, he jumped back. A male walker staggered from the open door. Daryl took it down with an arrow.

"We got company," Merle said as several walkers came pouring from the back of the gas station. As Daryl worked on taking out as many as he could with his crossbow before they came too close, Beth ran up to one and shoved her knife through its head. Daryl was impressed with the precision and power she used to take the walker down.

As Daryl shot another one through the head, he saw a walker approaching Beth from behind. He knew if he turned to shoot it, the walker who was descending upon him might reach him before he could turn around and shoot it. Then again, if he didn't turn, Beth was toast. Making the split decision to save her, he turned. Before he could aim and fire, Beth whirled on her heels. She kicked the walker at the knees, taking him down. She stood over him and began kicking it in the head until the brains spilled out and he finally stopped moving. Daryl turned back around in time to take out the walker approaching him with the butt of his crossbow. When he looked back, Beth was already battling another walker. He couldn't help but be impressed.

By the time the fight finished, the three of them were covered in blood and guts. Daryl had lost count of how many he had taken down. He had been too busy watching Beth. She certainly could hold her own. She sure as hell wasn't walker bait.

"Nice job," Daryl said to Beth.

"That better have been worth it," Merle muttered. "Let's see what this place got."

Merle led the way into the gas station, cautiously at first. Daryl found a flashlight near the cash register and grabbed it. He flicked it on and scanned the place. The open cash register was still full of money. No one had bothered to take it because money was useless. The shelves had mostly been ransacked of food. Merle found a half empty bag of potato chips and began munching on them.

As they walked down the aisles, Daryl could hear the unmistakable sounds of a walker. He turned the corner to another aisle and saw the woman on the ground, pinned by a fallen shelf. She reached out towards him, clawing and grabbing, but she couldn't quite get him. Merle appeared behind Daryl.

"Shut up, bitch," he yelled before drilling his knife into her head. Immediately the walker was silenced.

"I found some bandages," Beth announced from a few aisles over.

Daryl made his way over to her. He was happy to see the aisle of bandaids and bandages was still mostly intact. Whoever had ransacked the place clearly didn't realize how important medical supplies could be. Daryl grabbed the bandaids, gauze pads, medical tape, and everything else he could get his hands on. He threw them into his pack. When he almost all but cleared off the shelves, he took the final bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a box of gauze pads, and a roll of medical tape and held them.

"Let's fix you up," he said.

He led Beth back over to the front of the store. He motioned for her to hop onto the counter. She did. He opened the bottle of peroxide and soaked a gauze pad with it. He caught Beth's eye.

"Just do it," she told him, knowing it was going to hurt like hell. Daryl pressed the gauze against her wound. She closed her eyes and bit her lip as the pain hit her. She didn't make a sound.

Daryl dabbed at the cut, trying to get it as clean as possible. While he worked, he watched her face. She was clearly in pain, but she didn't show it. She was a lot tougher than he had given her credit for.

As he finished cleaning the gash, he took a clean stretch of gauze and placed it over the cut. He began to hold it down with the medical tape. Beth was impressed with the tenderness of his touch, just as she had been down at the edge of the stream. He was gentle and it surprised her.

"All set," he said a few minutes later. Beth opened her eyes, surprised at just how close he was standing to her. He took a step back and focused on putting the supplies in his pack. "We'll take these with us. Clean it again tonight."

"Thank you," she said.

"Ain't much left, but I found us some food," Merle said, walking up to them. He showed them his pack. Inside were several packages of trail mix, beef jerky, and a few chips. "Didn't find no clothes or blankets. Looks like you're gonna have another cold night, sweetheart."

"We should see if there's any houses nearby we can stay tonight," Daryl said. "If there's a gas station, odds are there's a neighborhood or somethin' nearby. Find ourselves somewhere safe to stay."

Merle nodded. "Fine. But if we find a bed, it's mine. Ain't pullin' no sweetheart gets the bed crap just 'cause she's a girl."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Beth responded.

Merle narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. "Let's go."

Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay in posting chapters. Now that school has started again, I'm busily back at work. I promise to post as fast as I can!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

By the time the sun set, Daryl, Beth, and Merle had found a house to stay in. It wasn't much. Just a run-down, old, one-bedroom house practically in the middle of nowhere, more than ten miles from the gas station. It had clearly already been swept through by some other group. There wasn't much left, but it at least was a sound structure, which was better than the barn and certainly better than sleeping out in the woods. They had approached slowly, not sure what to expect. Miraculously, the place had been clear of walkers. After looking through the house and gathering anything and everything of importance, Merle had done as he said he would and took the one twin sized cot that was set up in the separate bedroom. Daryl was going to protest, but then decided it wasn't worth it. Besides, if Beth got the cot, she wouldn't be with him and he wasn't a fan of that. He didn't want to let her out of his sight.

Beth sat on an old, worn-out couch in the middle of the room. It was dark except for two candles they had found in the kitchen. The flames cast shadows across the room, giving everything a ghostly look. Beth had done her best to somewhat clean up the place. She removed broken glass from a busted window from the floor and kicked some empty bottles into the corner. Daryl had been content to simply watch her as she worked.

While Beth took the couch, Daryl sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. He was sitting on an old, folded up white sheet they had found. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. He decided he would take it with them when they were ready to move on so Beth would have something better than a pile of leaves to sleep on.

Beth was occupied with folding a few pieces of clothing they had found in the house. It was all men's clothing, too big for Beth, but too small for Merle. Even though they wouldn't fit right, the three shirts and two pairs of pants she found would come in handy eventually. After folding them, she put them in a plastic bag that she would use as her pack until she could find something more durable.

"How's your head?" Daryl asked. He had redressed it a little while earlier. He had been surprised with just how much blood had been on the old gauze. The cut was even deeper than he realized.

"Fine," she answered.

"That your answer to everything?" He wondered. She didn't respond. Despite their breakthrough of her telling him about her family the night before, she still didn't seem to have much to say. She was different than the woman Daryl was used to. Usually he couldn't get them to shut up.

"You don't have to act so tough," he added.  
"Sure I do. You don't survive if you're not tough."

"Your daddy teach you that?"

She shook her head. "Not on purpose."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw what losin' my momma did to him. He wasn't the same man. He didn't care 'bout livin' no more 'cause he let the emotions get the better of him. I was tore up when my momma turned, but after seein' what it did to my daddy, I told myself I'd never let that happen to me. The only way to survive is to be tough."

"You ain't what I thought you'd be."

"That a bad thing?"

"No. You're a tough broad, Beth."

She smiled. "Cause I have to be. Think Merle woulda let me stay with you if I hadn't been able to prove myself? Think I'd be any use to anyone if I just sat down and cried about how horrible life is?"

"Merle don't always know what's best. He thinks he does, but he don't."

"You and Merle, you're so...different," Beth commented.

"We ain't that different."

"Yes you are. He's…"

"An ass?" Daryl finished. Beth smiled. That was exactly what she was going to say. "I'm an ass, too."

"No you're not. You're kind."

Daryl snorted. "I ain't kind."

"You are to me. You didn't have to help me or let me stay with you or stop for those medical supplies or patch me. You might not think so, but you are kind, Daryl."

"You have a good childhood, Beth?"

She looked at him quizzically, not sure why he was asking her that. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Your mom and dad told you they loved you and were proud of you?"

"Yeah."

"Merle and I never had that. Never had no one who gave two shits about us. We were on our own from day one. You learn to be a certain kind of person when there's no one around showin' you what's right."

"I'm sorry," Beth said.

"Don't gotta apologize. It's what made Merle and I who we are. Toughened us up. We learned how to survive before survival became necessary. Being assholes is what's kept Merle and I alive all this time."

"You ain't an asshole, Daryl," Beth reminded him. "Not even close." She stood up.

"Where you goin'?"

"Gonna keep watch."

"You don't have to do that."

"You don't trust me, Daryl?" She asked.

"No. That's not it."

"Trying to be chivalrous, then?"

He snorted. "That definitely ain't it."

"Get some sleep," Beth said. "You can even take the couch."

She started to walk away. Daryl rummaged through his pack and grabbed the T-shirt he had given her to wear the night before.

"Hold up," he said. When she turned, he tossed it to her. She caught it with one hand. "In case you get cold."

She flashed him one last smile before she headed straight into the kitchen to keep watch by the window.

He found her the next morning still by the window. She was sitting on the stool, her head resting on an overhead kitchen cabinet. Her knife was still grasped in her hand, but she was clearly asleep. She was wearing his shirt. He was beginning to like it better on her than on himself.

Daryl took a moment to watch her. She looked younger in her sleep, perhaps because all signs of worry were gone from her face. Daryl knew she'd probably have a crick on her neck when she woke up, but he was happy to see that the bandage on her head was free of blood. Her wound had finally stopped bleeding. He was about to gently nudge her awake when he heard Merle stomping in from the bedroom.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart!" He yelled.

Beth jerked herself awake, practically falling off the stool in the process. Daryl caught her arm before she completely lost her balance.

"Jesus Merle," Daryl muttered, with his hand still wrapped around Beth's arm.

"Time to get up," Merle stated, munching on a bag of chips. "I'm hungry."

"You're eating right now," Daryl pointed out.

"Need some meat," Merle said. "I hunted yesterday. Your turn."

"Fine," Daryl said.

"Me and sweetheart here can stay behind and get…acquainted."

Merle ran a finger up Beth's bare arm. Daryl finally let her other arm go and swatted his brother's hand away.

"She's comin' with me," Daryl stated. "Told her I'd teach her to hunt."

"That code for wantin' to take her into the woods all by yourself? Afraid she'll fall for good ole Merle if she stays with me?"

"I'm teaching her to hunt," Daryl repeated.

He put his hand back on her arm and pulled her towards him. She slid off the stool and followed him through the house. Daryl grabbed his crossbow and slung it across his back. He opened the front door and looked out cautiously, checking to see if there were any walkers in sight. Seeing nothing, he walked through the door.

"You gonna let go of me now?" Beth asked, looking down at his hand on her arm..

Daryl finally let her go. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"I'd be fine stayin' here with him, you know. You don't have to take me with you."

"You don't want to come?"

"I didn't say that."

"You wanna be tough and survive out here?" Daryl asked.

"Of course."

"Then you gotta learn to hunt. Can't live off berries and food you scavenge from gas stations."

"Ok. Then teach me."

Author's Note: Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Just as a side note, I stole the last line of the story from my favorite couple from Grey's Anatomy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"There are three rules when you're huntin'," Daryl said as he led Beth away from the house and towards the edge of the woods.

"What are they?" Beth asked.

"Rule number one…be quiet."

"Didn't realize I was bein' so loud," she replied.

"That's not what I meant. Huntin' is all about bein' still and silent. You make a noise, you scare the prey away. You gotta be silent if you actually want to catch something. Rule number two is patience. Can't rush huntin'. Sometimes it can take all day, but if you're patient, you'll catch what you're lookin' for."

"What's rule number three?" Beth asked.

"Don't get dead."

"Good rule."

"You ever hunt anything before?"

"Nope." She answered.

"You ever shot a crossbow before?"

"Nope."

"Come here." Daryl took the crossbow off his back and held it out. "First you gotta cock the bow."

"Excuse me?"

"You gotta…" Daryl cut himself off when he realized what he was saying. "You gotta get the arrow on the bow so it's ready to shoot. Watch."

Daryl placed the nose end of the crossbow on the ground. Beth watched as he placed his foot in a small stirrup at the end of the bow. Using his weight to anchor the bow, he pulled on the string, bringing it back to rest on the end of the bow.

"You gotta do that every time you want to shoot?" Beth asked.

"Yeah. You ever lift 125 pounds, Beth?"

"I don't think so."

"Well, you're about to try." Daryl unlatched the string he had just pulled so that Beth could mimic his movements and try it for herself. He showed her where to put her foot and how to pull back the string evenly. She took the string in her hand and began to pull.

"That's…impossible," she exclaimed as the string moved only a few inches.

"It's 125 pounds," Daryl explained. "Keep trying."

Beth managed to pull the string back about halfway. Daryl could see her struggling. He knew it was difficult, but he was enjoying the look of concentration on her face. Finally, he stepped in. He placed his hands over her hers and helped pull the string to the end of the bow.

"I guess we can cross using a crossbow off my list of weapons," Beth said.

"We just gotta get some more muscles on you, girl."

"You know of any gyms around?"

Daryl smiled. "Still gonna teach you how to shoot in case you ever need to. Let's aim for the moss on that tree."

Daryl positioned himself behind Beth and put his arms around her. He lifted the crossbow so it was straight out in front of her. He directed her on where to put her hands. His face was positioned right beside hers. She could feel his breath blowing against the strands of hair on the side of her face. He felt her shudder.

"First, you gotta line it up," he instructed. "Gotta put your whole body into it." He gently placed his hand on her hip, applying a slight pressure. She moved slightly with the press of his hand. She couldn't help but feel a blush spread on her cheeks.

"What's next?" Beth asked, barely able to get the words out.

"Look through the scope. Aim for your target. When you got it in sight, you squeeze the trigger. Nice and slow."

Beth took a moment to line up the shot as Daryl told her. She could see the moss he was talking about through the scope. He finally removed his hand from her hip, allowing her to concentrate more on the moss than on his hand. Then again, he did still have his arms wrapped around her, something she hadn't been able to forget.

"Take a breath," Daryl suggested. "Let it out. Shoot."

Beth took a deep breath. When she thought she had it, she pulled the trigger. The arrow went sailing beyond the tree.

"Nice shot," Daryl said with a smirk on his face.

"Don't look at me like that. It was my first time!"

"I bet you say that to all the guys."

Daryl finally took his arms from around her. He went to retrieve the arrow. Beth followed him. She found him kneeling down a few yards into the woods. The arrow she had shot was in his hand.

"What are you doin'?" She asked.

"Tracks. Look."

Daryl pointed to small imprints in the dirt.

"What is it?"

"Rabbit," Daryl answered. "See the longer back feet and smaller front feet? Pattern is from an animal that hops, not an animal that walks foot to foot. Fresh, too. Probably came by here not ten minutes ago."

"Think we can find it?"

"We'll find out."

Daryl stood up, determined to find the rabbit that left the tracks. As he walked, Beth kept pace beside him. They walked in silence. As they trekked deeper into the woods, Beth realized how comfortable she had become with him in such a short amount of time. Her father had warned her not to trust anyone, but she found herself trusting him more and more with every passing minute.

They tracked the rabbit for over an hour before they actually caught sight of him. Every once in a while, Daryl would stop and show Beth how to follow the direction of the tracks and how to differentiate the rabbit's footprints from other animals. Daryl put up his hand to stop her as he saw the rabbit standing beside a fallen tree about ten feet ahead of them. He readied his crossbow. Beth couldn't help but look away as Daryl pulled the trigger. The arrow pierced the rabbit's heart. It died before it even knew it was being stalked.

Daryl walked over and picked the dead rabbit up. He pulled out the arrow and put it back in the crossbow. Beth approached him with a plastic bag. Daryl dumped the rabbit inside. Beth cringed. Daryl let out a little laugh.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"You say you're big and tough. You can take a walker with one hit, but you can't look at a dead rabbit? What'd you think huntin' was all about?"

"I know we have to hunt. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You had a pet rabbit when you were a kid, didn't you?"

"Maybe," Beth answered. Daryl smiled. "Alright, you think you know me so well. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"I don't know. Tell me somethin'. You ever have any pets?"

"Nope."

"Not even a goldfish?"

"Who wants a pet goldfish?"

"Ok. Fine. What did you do before?"

"What did I do?"

"Yeah, you know. What did you do for a job?"

"Nothin'."

"Everybody does somethin'. Gotta make money to put a roof over your head…at least that's what my daddy used to say."

"I didn't do nothin'. Just me and Merle, getting' into trouble and shit. What'd you do?"

"Just graduated high school," Beth explained. "I was gonna start college in the fall."

"Smarty pants, huh?"

"I guess."

"What were you goin' to school for?"

"Forget it," Beth said.

"Come on, tell me. What were you gonna study at school?"

"You'll laugh."

"You were goin' to college. That ain't nothin' to laugh at. Sure as hell more than I ever accomplished in life. Tell me."

"Music," she answered. "I was goin' to the Berklee College of Music."

"Where the hell is that?"

"Boston."

"You were goin' to go all the way to Boston to study music?"

"It's the best music school there is. Besides, I wanted to get out of Georgia. Get out of this small town and see the real world, ya know. Never been to a big city before."

"You wanna be a famous singer or somethin'?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I hadn't really figured it out yet. I just love performin'. Playin', singin', don't matter."

"What do you play?"

"Piano, guitar, violin, flute, and I started learnin' the cello."

"You play five instruments?"

"Well, I never got the chance to get very good at cello, but yeah, I guess I do. But it don't matter now. Not like knowing how to play the violin is gonna help me survive this. It all seems so stupid."

"Maybe one day you'll be able to play again."

She shrugged. "Maybe."

They continued to walk on, keeping their eyes open for any sign of danger or a possible second prey. The rabbit was a good start, but it wouldn't be enough to fill three empty bellies.

"See that," Daryl said, pointing to tracks on the ground.

Beth looked down at the zigzagging design on the ground. One line of prints was in the shape of a human shoe. The other looked like a naked foot.

"It's a walker," she said. "Patterns not straight. And it looks like she lost a shoe."

"How do you know it's a woman?" Daryl asked even though he already knew the answer himself.

"It's a high heel. You can see the point of the heel," Beth answered. "What a sucky way to be walkin' around. Heels ain't exactly comfortable."

"Don't think she'll care. She's already dead."

"True. That's one thing I don't miss. Wearin' heels." Daryl scoffed. "What? They're uncomfortable."

"Yeah, well they look damn good on the right woman."

"I don't know why men think that. You ever married, Daryl?"

"Nope."

"Girlfriend?"

"Not if I could help it. What about you? You a heart breaker, Beth?"

"Had a boyfriend, but…"

"But…" He prompted.

"He must be gone now, right?" Daryl stopped walking and looked at her. She didn't even look sad. Daryl found it funny that she could feel something over a dead rabbit, but not a dead human being whom she had cared about. "Wasn't a big thing anyway. We probably woulda broken up as soon as I left for college. What kind of tracks are those?" Beth asked, pointing to the ground. Daryl looked down.

"Wild bore," Daryl told her.

"Is it fresh?"

"Might still be nearby. Let's see what we can find." They took off in search of the pig.

Author's Note: Don't have much to say except thank you for sticking with me! Please don't forget to review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It took them over an hour to track the boar. Daryl let Beth take the lead. Although it was slower going than if he had been the one tracking, he let her take her time. She was good at spotting the footprints, but it was the direction of them that was giving her more trouble. She would have to stoop down and analyze the tracks that seemed to be going in a different direction to determine exactly what direction that was. Daryl had to correct her a few times, but overall she was doing well. She was a quick learner.

"Hold up," he whispered when he saw what they were looking for.

Daryl pointed out in the distance. Beth saw what he was looking at. The wild boar was rooting around in the ground clearly looking for food of his own. Daryl pulled the crossbow from his back. He didn't aim it. Instead he held it out to Beth.

"I can't," she said quietly. They both knew if they spoke too loudly, the boar would get spooked.

"I already cocked it."

"I'm sure you did," she replied somewhat teasingly.

"Take the bow, Beth."

"I couldn't even hit moss on a tree. I ain't gonna be able to hit a boar."

"Just take the bow. I'll help you."

Beth finally took the bow. As he did before, Daryl put his arms around her, helping her hold it up. He adjusted her hips so she had the right stance, letting his hand linger on her hip just a little longer than necessary. He put his face right next to hers, cheek to cheek.

"Line it up. Take a breath. Pull the trigger."

The way he said it, it seemed so easy, but with the skin of his cheek touching hers, it was impossible to concentrate. His skin was rough with the scruff of his facial hair and she loved it.

Beth closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them again and lined up the shot. Daryl's hand covered hers. He put his finger next to hers on the trigger. He had never known that shooting his crossbow could be so sensual. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to shoot the crossbow again without thinking of her.

Beth took in a breath and pulled the trigger. The arrow went whizzing through the air. The boar fell. Beth turned around in Daryl's arms so she was facing him with a big smile on her face. She suddenly realized she was trapped in his arms and they were close, too close. She had never kissed a man with a beard before and she wondered what it would feel like. As Beth's eyes came to concentrate on his lips, Daryl dropped the crossbow he was still holding and concentrated just on holding her. His arms came to rest low on her back. She put her hands up on his chest. As he started to lean down to press his lips against hers, to learn what she tasted like, they both heard it.

Daryl dropped his arms and Beth turned around. There was a walker only a few feet away. They had been so wrapped up in each other they hadn't heard it approaching. Beth grabbed her knife and stuck it in the head. Daryl picked up his crossbow as another walker stomped towards them. Daryl took it out with one arrow.

"We gotta go, Beth," Daryl said, seeing at least five more walkers traipsing through the woods towards them.

"We need to get the boar," Beth insisted, heading off in the direction where the boar fell.

"It's not worth it," Daryl said, chasing after her. "We'll be surrounded in less than a minute."

"We can still get it."

Daryl grabbed her arm. "We ain't dyin' for a boar!"

He began pulling her away from the dead boar, but they were too late. The walkers were already near them. As Beth took another walker out with her knife, Daryl grabbed a stick from the ground and drove it into a nearby walker's brain. Daryl could see that Beth's knife had gotten stuck in the walker's head. She was standing over the walker, trying to get it out. Daryl jumped over to the walker he had just killed to help her.

"Daryl! Look out!" Beth shouted.

As Daryl turned around, a walker behind him lunged for him. He fell to his back, the walker falling on top of him. His crossbow landed far enough away that he couldn't reach it. With one hand against the walker's throat, he felt around with his free hand, trying to reach a stick or rock or anything he could use as a weapon. He felt nothing nearby. As he tried to think through his options while keeping the walker's jaws away from him, he heard the whizzing of something over his head. No longer moving, the walker fell on him. He looked up. Beth's knife was protruding out of its head.

Daryl pushed the dead weight off of him and scrambled to his feet. He looked over at Beth. She was busy trying to fight off another walker without a weapon. Daryl picked up his crossbow from where it had fallen, aimed, and fired. The walker Beth was fighting with dropped. Daryl looked around. There didn't appear to be any more walkers in sight.

"You ok?" He asked. "Get bit?"

"No," she answered. "You?"

Daryl shook his head and then looked at her carefully. He expected her to be shaken or have a look of terror on her face, but she wasn't. He retrieved her knife from the skull of the walker and walked over to her.

"Nice hit," Daryl said, handing her the knife.

"You too."

"Come on, let's get this pig. Almost died for it. Mine as well take it with us."

Daryl knelt down beside the pig.

"What are you doing?" Beth asked.

"Gotta gut it."

"What?"

"Didn't think we'd be able to carry this thing back, did you with those scrawny arms of yours?"

"I'm not scrawny," Beth said.

"Uh-huh. You're gonna cut a straight line right down the middle of its belly."

"I'm going to do it?"

"You're the one with the knife. Besides, it's part of the hunt. You gotta learn."

Beth kneeled down beside him. She took her knife and held it over the dead bore. She pressed the knife into its stomach and dragged it across the pig's skin. Blood begin to spill out immediately, seeping into Beth's jeans at the knees. Daryl reached into the pig's stomach and pulled out its organs, leaving them in a messy pile on the ground. Daryl picked up the pig and lifted it, letting the blood drain out.

"That's disgusting," Beth said.

"Thought you grew up on a farm."

"We didn't slaughter our animals. We kept 'em as pets."

"You really did have a privileged upbringin', didn't you?"

"We gonna stop and talk about how I was raised or we gonna get the hell out of here?"

"Boar should be more manageable now," Daryl said. "We're gonna have a feast tonight." He slung his crossbow across his back before picking the pig up and throwing it over his shoulder. "You…ah…got some blood on your cheek."

Beth wiped her cheek, smearing more blood on her face. She looked down at her bloodied hand realizing it was futile. She wasn't going to be able to get clean until she found some water to wash her hands.

Daryl wiped his hand on his pants before using the pad of his thumb to wipe the smear of blood off of Beth's cheek. She closed his eyes when he touched her. His finger lingered on her cheek longer than necessary. After the blood was sufficiently gone and he had gotten to feel her soft skin, Daryl reluctantly took his hand away.

"Come on," he said. "Daylight's burnin'."

Beth nodded. She took the lead, winding their way back through the woods and towards the house. She followed their own footsteps back. They walked in silence, Beth every once and while glancing back at him. He would meet her eyes and she would give him a little smile.

He wasn't her type. That's what she kept telling herself. He was too rough around the edges, too hard. Not to mention the age difference. He was practically old enough to be her father, but that didn't matter. She was attracted to him and he thought he might just be attracted to her, too.

They came to the edge of the woods, the house coming into view. Cautiously, they approached the house. Daryl dumped the boar on the front step as he and Beth entered the house.

"Merle!" Daryl called. "Got ourselves a treat tonight."

There was no response. Daryl poked his head into the small, separate bedroom. He expected to see Merle passed out on the cot, but he wasn't there. Beth ducked into the kitchen.

"Where is he?" She asked.

"Maybe he went out to take a leak."

Daryl walked back outside, scanning the area for Merle. He was nowhere to be found.

"Was he out there?" Beth asked as Daryl made his way back into the house. Daryl shook his head. "Where would he be? Where could he have gone?"

"I don't know, but we gotta find him."

"Daryl…"

"I ain't leavin' my brother, Beth."

She nodded. "Alright, let's go find him."

Author's Note: Thank you for all of the incredible reviews so far. This story has been a lot of fun to write. I'm glad you're enjoying it!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

With his crossbow in front of him, ready to fire at any moment, Daryl sprinted away from the house. He only stopped to check for Merle's tracks to make sure he was traveling in the right direction. Every once and a while, the tracks would disappear where the ground was hard, but Daryl kept moving. He was determined to find his brother. Even if the worst had happened to him, Daryl had to know.

Beth followed behind him, proud of herself for keeping pace. They ran for almost two miles before Daryl finally stopped when he saw a farm house sprawled out in front of him.

"Think he went in there?" Beth asked, out of breath.

Daryl looked down at the ground to look for tracks, but with so much grass, they were impossible to see.

"Only one way to find out," he answered.

Daryl led the way towards the house. He climbed the front steps and walked onto the porch. He tried to glance in one of the front windows, but they had been boarded up. He glanced back at Beth who had joined him on the porch. She had her knife out, ready for whatever was inside the house. He was impressed at how willing she was to walk with him into danger. He banged on the door hard with his fist and then stepped back, ready for anything that came his way. They both listened, expecting to hear the sound of walkers. The door swung open.

"I was wonderin' when you'd get here, little brother," Merle exclaimed. He stood in the doorway, holding a shot glass in his hand full of brown liquid. He downed the drink in one gulp.

Daryl lowered his crossbow. "What the hell, Merle?"

"Took you two long enough. Too busy get naked out in the woods or somethin'?"

"Why didn't you stay at the house?" Daryl asked, pushing his way past his brother. Although he was sure Merle had already scouted the place, he took his time looking around to make sure they weren't in an imminent danger.

"Found a better house," Merle answered. "You comin' in, sweetheart?"

Merle stood in the doorway as Beth walked by him into the house. He made sure he gave her very little space so she had to press her body against his. Merle chuckled.

"You should have waited for us," Daryl hissed, not liking what he saw in the doorway.

"I did wait. After a while, I figured you two were either too busy doing the tango or you got yourselves bit. That's when I decided to see what else I could find. I found somethin' pretty good if I do say so myself. We got shelter and we got boos!"

Merle pointed to a small coffee table that was covered in nothing but alcohol bottles. Merle picked up a bottle of whiskey and poured himself another shot. He downed it immediately.

"We had a boar," Daryl said, unable to keep the anger from his voice.

"Well now, where is it?" Merle questioned.

"Back at the other place. When we found out you were gone, we dropped it to come lookin' for you."

"Well that was a stupid idea," Merle said. "Sweetheart's got you goin' soft."

Daryl shoved Merle hard, causing him to drop his shot glass. It shattered against the hardwood floor.

"We came lookin' to make sure you weren't dead!"

"I can take care of myself!" Merle yelled back.

"You should have waited for us!"

Daryl had a fistful of Merle's shirt. He geared up, ready to punch him.

"You ain't in charge of me!" Merle shouted.

"Alright, enough!" Beth yelled. Both men stopped and looked at her. "Every walker around is gonna hear you two yellin'. And fightin' about who's right doesn't solve anythin'. The important thing is we're back together."

"You really got a boar?" Merle asked. Beth nodded. "Then what the hell are we waitin' for. We're feastin' and boozin' tonight!"

Several hours later, Daryl was sitting on the living room floor of the house Merle had found, gnawing on the leg of the boar. It had been a long walk back to the original house where they had dropped the boar. Daryl wasn't even sure if it would still be there or if walkers would have gotten to it first. Fortunately, it was still there. He carried it back, returning to the house just as it started to get dark.

With small candles in the middle of the floor, lighting the room, Beth sat across from him, picking meat off the ribs. Further in the corner, Merle finished off the meat on a leg bone and tossed it aside. He took another shot of whiskey and belched.

"Might want to slow down, Merle," Daryl suggested, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Don't remember askin' for your opinion," Merle spat. He stood up and wobbled. "I'm goin' to take a piss."

He grabbed a full bottle of whiskey as he walked past both Beth and Daryl. He headed for the stairs. He tripped over the first one, but managed his way up the rest.

"Where is he goin'?

"Who knows. So drunk probably forgot the plumbin' don't work."

"He goin' to be ok?" Beth asked.

"He'll probably pass out soon," Daryl answered.

He took a swig out of a scotch bottle. Even though he was glad to have alcohol in his system, he also knew that he couldn't go too far with it. He couldn't get drunk like Merle. Someone had to stay alert to protect them. He noticed Beth watching him.

"What's it taste like?" She asked.

"Like shit," Daryl answered. "You want some?"

"No."

"Come on, it ain't that bad. I was just teasin' about it tastin' like shit. After the first few sips, you can't really taste it anyway."

"I've never had it," Beth said.

"Scotch?"

"Alcohol. I've never had alcohol."

"You were plannin' on goin' to a big fancy school in a big fancy city, but you've never had a drink?"

"My dad used to have a drinkin' problem. Seein' that kind of made me never want to drink."

"My dad had a drinkin' problem, too. Only difference is, it made me want to drink more. Go ahead. Try some." Daryl passed her his glass. She took it hesitantly. "It ain't gonna kill you to have one drink."

She pressed the drink to her lips and took a small sip. The liquid burned as it went down her throat. She closed her eyes and crinkled her nose.

"That's disgusting," she said.

"You get used to it."

She passed the glass back to Daryl.

"I don't think I want to get used to it." She took the last bit of meat off the boar bone in front of her, trying to mask the taste of the scotch in her mouth.

"It'll linger," Daryl said.

"What?"

"The taste of the scotch. It'll linger for a bit."

"Wish you told me that before I tried it. You know what I bet would really get rid of the taste?" She asked.

"What's that?"

"Ice cream."

"Well, if you know of any ice cream shops around her, I'd be glad to take you."  
She smiled. "I think about it a lot. Ice cream. The way it tasted, the way it melted in your mouth as you ate it, the coldness. I miss ice cream." Daryl couldn't help but laugh. She sounded like a kid on a hot summer day. "Don't laugh at me. You must miss some food."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, what is it?"

"Don't matter. Ain't never gonna have it again so why bother talkin' about it?"

"Because it's fun."

"Talking 'bout food you can't have is fun?"

"Come on, it gives us somethin' to do. Tell me. What food do you miss the most?"

"Macaroni and cheese."

Beth smiled. "I picture you as a meat and potato guy."

"My mother used to make this mac and cheese with breadcrumbs…it was amazing. A lot better than that boxed shit."

"Sounds delicious. I miss brownies."

"I thought you missed ice cream."

"Ice cream and brownies. And chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cream pie and…"

"What is with women and chocolate?"

Beth shrugged. "What was your favorite breakfast food?"

"What?"

"What was your favorite breakfast food?" She repeated.

"Are we playin' twenty questions or somethin'?"

"Come on, just tell me."

"Bacon and eggs. What about you?"

"Pancakes. My daddy made these special pancakes with cinnamon in them. They were the best breakfast I ever had."

"Favorite pizza," Daryl challenged.

"See, I knew you'd like playin' along," she said with a smile. "Pepper and onions. What's yours?"

"Meat," Daryl said.

"What kind of meat?"

"Any kind," Daryl answered.

"Even boar?"

"Hey, you gotta admit, that boar was pretty good."

"You sure do know your way around a campfire," Beth complimented. She pointed at Daryl's glass. "Give me another drink."

"You sure?"

"You're the one who said it gets better."

"I did, didn't I?"

Instead of passing her his cup, he brought it to her lips. He tipped it back. She closed her eyes and took a longer drink than before. She felt the burn of the liquid against the back of her throat, but she was more concentrating on how close Daryl was. If she just inched forward slightly, she would be…

"You two done with the foreplay?" Merle yelled from the top of the stairs, his words slurred. Daryl immediately backed off. "Got two bedrooms up here. We're getting' a good night's sleep tonight."

"Me and you can take one room. Beth can have the other," Daryl suggested.

"No way in hell. I ain't no homo," Merle protested. "Me and sweetheart can take the room with the big bed. Daryl, you can have the second room all to yourself. It's about time she and I got to know each other."

"That ain't gonna happen," Daryl stated, getting to his feet.

"I can just take the couch," Beth said. "You two can have the bedrooms."

"I'll take the couch," Daryl offered. "You can have a little more…privacy in one of the bedrooms upstairs."

"Really, Daryl, it's fine," Beth claimed. "I don't mind…"

"I told you, I'll take the couch," he insisted.

"Ok," Beth finally gave in.

"Sure you don't want to share with me, sweetheart? I can show you a rockin' good time."

"Leave her alone, Merle," Daryl said.

"Don't tell me what to do, little brother," Merle said as he sauntered down the hall to the largest bedroom.

"You sure you're ok stayin' up there with him?" Daryl asked when Merle was gone.

"We're in separate rooms, Daryl. It's fine."

"Then I guess we should call it a night. Get a good night's sleep while we can."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Goodnight, Beth."

"Goodnight."

She hugged her arms across her chest. He watched her as she walked up the stairs and disappeared out of view.

Author's Note: I loved writing the dialogue between Beth and Daryl in this chapter. Thank you for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

He was dreaming about her. She was wearing the same tank top she had on when he first met her, but it wasn't ripped. It was clean, as if it had just come out of a washing machine. Her legs were being shown off in a pair of cut-off Jean shorts. She was barefoot, her toes painted cotton candy pink. Her hair was down, falling well past her shoulders, framing her face. She was simply standing in front of him, her eyes looking deep into his soul. He felt as if there wasn't a care in the world. He wasn't worried about walkers, if they were going to find shelter, or what they were going to eat and drink. All he cared about was her. He reached his hand out to her, but she suddenly seemed further away. He took a step towards her, but she backed up. Every time he got closer to her, she was that much further. No matter how many times he tried, he could never reach her.

Daryl awoke with a start. He sat straight up. He glanced around, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. It took him a moment to remember where he was. He was still on the couch in the living room. He could see his crossbow on the table in front of him right where he had left it. Daryl rubbed his face, trying to get the image of Beth standing in front of him out of his mind. There was something about it that just felt so real. He was about to lie down again when he heard Beth shout. One shout is all it took for Daryl to grab his crossbow and jump off the couch. He bounded up the steps.

"Don't!" She shouted.

Daryl turned to the left. It was hard to see where he was going in the dark in such an unfamiliar place, but he zoned in on a door down the hall.

"Come on, sweetheart," he heard Merle say.

Daryl knew immediately what was going on without having to see a thing. He burst through the door. What he saw made his blood boil. Merle had Beth pinned against the wall. He was holding her wrists together with one hand high above her head. His hips were pressed against her, keeping her still. He was grinding against her. His free hand roamed down her body. He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned away.

"Get off of me!" She yelled, trying to push against him, but she was no match for his strength.

Daryl lunged at his brother. He ripped Merle's hand away from her wrists before tackling him to the ground. Daryl could smell the immense amounts of alcohol on Merle's breath.

"You son of a bitch," Daryl shouted. He held Merle down and began to wail on him, hitting every available spot he could find. Merle fought back, but barely. He was still so intoxicated he barely had much fight left in him.

"Daryl!" Beth shouted. "Stop!"

Daryl didn't stop. All he could see was Merle hurting her and it made him want to kill him. As Daryl geared up to take another swing, Merle took the opportunity to slug him in the nose. With the force, Daryl fell sideways. Merle scrambled to his knees. Even with blood pouring from his nose, Daryl managed to wrap his hands around Merle's neck. He began to squeeze, wanting to squeeze the life right out of him.

"Stop it!" Beth screamed when she saw he wasn't going to stop. "You'll kill him!" She pulled on his arm. "Daryl, stop! He's your brother!"

Daryl finally let go. Coughing and sputtering, Merle sank to the floor.

"You son of a bitch!" Merle roared, his words slurred.

"I'm the son of a bitch? You attack her and I'm the son of a bitch?"

"She wanted it."

Beth grabbed Daryl's arm before he could lunge for Merle.

"Get out," Daryl commanded. "You're nothin' but a lousy, drunk. Get the hell out or I swear to God, Merle, I'll..."

"You'll what? You gonna take sides with sweetheart? You gonna put out your own brother so you can get in her pants? Tell you what, little brother, you can have her first. We can share. Just like we did with that stripper. What was her name? Carmen? Cameron? Hell, it don't matter. It's been a long time since either of us had some tail. Men can't live without a woman's company. Sweetheart might not be as good as Carmen or Cameron, but…"

"That ain't…" Daryl began.

"I can speak for myself," Beth interrupted angrily. "I am not here to be shared for sex!"

"Just get out," Daryl said to Merle, putting emphasis on every word.

"It's too bad…we could have had fun, sweetheart," Merle said before finally leaving the room. Daryl slammed the bedroom door shut and propped a chair up against the door, fortifying it. He turned to Beth.

"You ok? Did he hurt you?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, but you're not. Sit."

"I'm fine," Daryl insisted, rubbing some of the blood off his face that had poured from his nose.

"Just sit."

Daryl sat on the edge of the bed. Beth grabbed a T-Shirt from the closet in the room and placed it against Daryl's nose, trying to stop the bleeding. As she stood in front of him, Daryl looked her over. She seemed relatively unharmed. She brushed a piece of hair away from his face. That's when Daryl saw the beginnings of a bruise on her wrist. He gently took her wrist in his hand.

"He hurt you," he said.

"It's nothing. Just a bruise."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"He's my brother."

"And you can't control his actions."

"I knew he was a lousy drunk. I should never have let him be so close to you."

"Daryl, you couldn't have known he would barge in my room in the middle of the night and…" she cut herself off, thinking that just twenty minutes before she had been having a peaceful night's sleep. She had even been having a pleasant dream about Daryl.

"I won't let him hurt you," he said.

Daryl brought her wrist to his mouth and kissed the spot where the bruise was forming.

"You gotta hold that to your nose or it won't stop bleeding," Beth said, taking the T-shirt from Daryl and pressing it against his nose. "Good news is I don't think your nose is broken."

"That's good. Wouldn't wanna mess with this handsome face."

She smiled. "Think you should go check on Merle?"

"I ain't checkin' on him. Whatever pains he got, he deserves them."

Beth looked down at the floor. "I tried to fight him, you know. I was asleep when he came in. When I woke up, he was…next to me on the bed. I tried to run away, but he caught me. He was just too strong, but I did try."

Daryl could see her trying to hide her emotions from him.

"It's ok…to cry. You know, if you gotta let it out or somethin'."

She met his eyes. "I don't cry anymore, Daryl."

Daryl opened his mouth to convince her that she could cry, but he didn't. Somehow he knew that she would never cry in front of him. It was pride. And that was one thing he understood.

"Still got a couple more hours 'til sunrise," he said. "You should get some sleep."

Beth sat down beside him and scooted herself back on the bed. Daryl stood up, presumably to leave.

"Don't," she said. "Stay. I'll feel safer if you stay."

"Alright. I'll stay on the floor."

"No. Stay with me."

"Beth, I don't think…"

"Please?"

It was the please that got to him. Even if she no longer cried, he could hear the vulnerability in her voice. She was scared. Daryl slid back on the bed, leaning against the headboard. Beth immediately sidled up next to him. She rested her head on his chest. On instinct, he put his arm around her. He pulled the blanket up from the bottom of the bed and covered them both with it. She closed her eyes. Daryl waited until he was sure she was asleep before he allowed himself to fall asleep with her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Daryl awoke when he heard a banging from downstairs followed by Merle swearing loudly. He looked over at Beth's sleeping form. His arms were still around her and her head was still on his chest. Daryl realized how pleasant it was to just watch her sleep. She was beautiful.

He brushed a few strands of hair away from her face before leaning down and planting a light kiss on her forehead. Daryl began to slide away from her, carefully placing her head on a pillow. She moved in her sleep, immediately curling up with the pillow instead of with him. He instantly missed the feel of her body pressed against his. Daryl readjusted the blanket that had been covering them both and pulled it over her.

He gave her one last look, grabbed his crossbow, and walked across the room. He removed the chair he had placed against the door the night before and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him so as not to disturb Beth. He wanted to let her sleep as long as possible. It was rare they got a good night's sleep.

As Daryl neared the staircase, he could hear Merle puttering around downstairs. Daryl immediately felt the same anger as the night before. He could picture Merle pinning Beth against the wall and it made him hate him. His brother had done dozens of things over the years that had pissed Daryl off. Most of the time they would fight it out and all was forgiven, but not this time. This time Merle had crossed a line.

Daryl found Merle standing in the kitchen, rummaging through a cabinet of pots and pans. He was mumbling something under his breath, but Daryl couldn't understand him. Daryl had no idea what he was looking for, but he didn't care.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Daryl asked angrily, still holding his crossbow at his side.

"Don't talk so loud," Merle muttered, still looking through the cupboard.

"Why? You hung over, Merle?" Daryl replied, speaking more loudly than necessary. He knew the headache Merle must have. He had experienced it many times before, but he wanted to see his brother suffer. "You have a little too much to drink?"

"I said shut up." Merle finally wrapped his fingers around what he was looking for. "Knew it had to be here." He took the bottle and placed it on the counter. It was a bottle of brandy. An old bottle. "Always keep the best stuff under the sink." Merle uncapped the bottle and was about to press it to his lips when Daryl spoke.

"Don't!" He yelled.

"You want some, too, little brother?"

"You hurt her, you son of a bitch."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. Now leave me alone. I got a bottle with my name on it."

"You don't remember last night? Of course you don't remember. Too drunk to remember like our father. You're no better than him."

"And you are?" Merle asked, putting the bottle on the counter. "You think you're somethin' special? What makes you better than me? What makes you so damn special?"

"I ain't a drunk for starters," Daryl stated. "I don't take innocent women and sneak into their rooms and push them against a wall and try to rape them!"

"I ain't never raped a woman! They give it to me willingly, little brother."

"Then how do you explain last night? When I heard Beth beggin' you to let her go! I walk in there and you got her pushed against the wall against her will, about to…"

"If that is true, then you stopped her from havin' the best night of her life, little brother."

"You son of a bitch," Daryl yelled.

He lifted his crossbow, pointing it at Merle.

"What are you doin', little brother? You gonna shoot me over this broad? You gonna kill your own brother so you can have her all to yourself? That's what this is about, isn't it? You got the hots for her and you want to be the only one who gets her."

"Shut up, Merle."

"That is it. You want her. You're just too much of a pussy to take her!"

Daryl put his finger on the trigger. He would have shot it if Beth hadn't come bounding down the stairs.

"Stop!" Beth yelled. "Daryl, don't!"

"Listen to the bitch," Merle said.

"Shut up, Merle!" Beth shouted. It was the first time she really had ever addressed him straight on. For the most part, he made snarky remarks about her and she ignored him. "Daryl, put it down. He's your brother! Put it down!"

Daryl finally lowered the crossbow.

"We ain't drinkin' no more," Daryl said.

"Says who?" Merle countered.

"You take another drink, I'll shoot you dead," Daryl warned.

Daryl readied his crossbow again. Before Beth could stop him, he shot it. But he hadn't aimed at Merle. The arrow pierced the bottle of brandy, shattering it. Liquid spilled everywhere. Merle swore loudly. Daryl took Beth's hand and led her back upstairs.

"Daryl, wait," Beth said as he led her into the bedroom they had slept in the night before and slammed the door behind them. He started pacing the room, trying to make sense of his anger. He knew that fighting with Merle was not going to make their relationship ok like it had so many times before. Daryl was a different person. He didn't want to fight anymore. He didn't want to be that immature, angry person. He wanted to be the kind of person Beth would want him to be. It was crazy that he had only known her for a few days, but already she had changed him.

"We gotta leave without him," Daryl said.

"No," Beth replied. "He's your brother."

"He ain't no brother of mine anymore."

"Daryl, I know you're angry. I know you want to hurt him or leave him behind, but you can't. In this world we live in, that isn't an option. You have to stick together. You need your family. He is your family. He was drunk. He made a mistake. He doesn't even…remember it. He might not be the nicest guy or the most pleasant guy to be around, but we do need him. And he is your brother."

Daryl sat down on the bed, feeling defeated. He knew what Beth was saying made sense, but that didn't mean he was happy about it.

"I will make good on my promise. If he drinks again, I'll kill him."

Beth nodded. "Fair enough." She sat down beside him. "I think we need to move on."

"This place seems safe."

"We can't live here…just the three of us. You two will only end up killin' each other and I can't step in every time you look at each other the wrong way. You're like two teenage girls."

"Now that's an insult."

"We gotta find a group, Daryl. We gotta find other people. Good people."

"I don't know if there are any good people left. I don't think the good people survive."

"I don't believe that. There have to be some good people left. And we need to find them."

"Don't know how well Merle and I'll do in a group, Beth."

"You need to stop doing that to yourself. You are a good person, Daryl. A good man. Merle might need a little help, but we can do this. And maybe if we find some good people we can…stop wandering and start living again."

He sighed. "You're right."

"I usually am," she said with a smile.

"Alright, we'll gather everythin' we need. Weapons, food, anythin'. Then we'll move on and start lookin' for some people."  
"Thank you." She stood up, heading over to the closet in the corner of the room to see if there was anything useful. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure."

"Do you think it's possible that my sister could still be alive?"

"Beth…"

"Maggie's strong and a good shot and when the farm got overrun, I didn't see her get…bit like I saw my brother. It's stupid isn't it, thinking' she might still be out there? And even if she is, I'll probably never see her again, but I…"

"It ain't stupid," Daryl assured her. He stood up and approached her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You gotta have somethin' to live for or there ain't no reason to keep goin'."

"And what are you livin' for?"

"Right now?" He paused. "You."

Beth turned around. Daryl cupped her cheek with his hand. He rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone. Beth knew what was about to happen. She could feel it. And she wanted it.

When she didn't pull away, Daryl closed the gap between them. With their eyes closed, his lips met hers. It started slow, simple. Daryl tangled his hand in her hair as their kiss intensified. She could feel his tongue against her lips, begging for entrance. Beth granted it. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He skimmed his hand down her body, coming to rest on her hip. He pressed her body against hers.

"Shit!" Merle yelled from downstairs.

They immediately broke away. Beth jumped back. She could feel the blush spreading across her face.

"We can't," she whispered before darting out of the room.

Author's Note: First Beth and Daryl kiss! Hope you liked it!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

They had been walking for almost the whole day. At first they started following some tracks that looked like it could belong to a group of people walking together. When they reached the end of the tracks, they found a small shed with four walkers locked inside. Other than that, they hadn't found much of anything. It had been a hard walk through the woods, not just because of the rough terrain, but because none of them spoke to one another. Merle was still nursing his hangover and pissed that Daryl had shot his last good bottle of liquor. Beth and Daryl had settled into an awkward silence. Neither of them spoke about what had happened that morning in the house. It was like they were both pretending it hadn't happened at all.

If she were being truthful, Beth simply just didn't know what to say about the kiss. It had felt amazing, the pressure of his lips against hers, the taste of him, the feeling of his facial hair against her soft skin. It was most definitely the best kiss she had ever gotten, but she didn't know what it meant. Of course, with a man like Daryl, it probably didn't mean anything. She had to guess that he had kissed dozens of women. She was just one on a long list and it probably meant nothing to him. The best way to deal with, she had decided, was to not deal with it at all. The two of them would just pretend it had never happened and they could just go on with finding a group. Once they were around other people, the tension between them would disappear. At least that was Beth's theory.

Daryl, on the other hand, wanted to ask her why she was ignoring him. He wasn't used to a woman turning him down like that. He had never kissed a woman and then had her go running from the room. He wondered if he had done something wrong. He knew kissing her meant crossing a line, but he wanted to cross it. And from the way she had reciprocated the kiss, he thought she wanted to cross it too. He liked kissing her. He liked falling asleep with her. And he was pretty sure he would like other things with her as well.

They walked through the forest, constantly aware of their surroundings, listening for the sounds or smells of walkers or any sign of life. They all knew they were going to have to stop and set up camp or find shelter soon. Daryl followed a few different animal tracks until they led him to a stream. He dropped his pack.

"We can stay here," he said.

Merle mumbled something and wandered off, disappearing behind a few trees. Beth dropped to her knees beside the stream. She put her hands together in the cool water to make a cup. She brought the water to her face and rubbed it in, trying to get rid of the dirt and grime.

Daryl began stringing up the cans and bottles they had taken from the house for safety. He watched her as she scrubbed her face and threw water on the back of her neck. Daryl guessed it had been at least one hundred degrees during the day. They were all sweaty and grimy. He wanted nothing more than to strip off his clothes and jump in the small stream. Preferably with Beth right along with him.

As she stepped away from the stream to start setting up their beds for the night, Daryl caught her eye. She tried to look away, but she held his gaze.

"I'm sorry," he finally said.

"What?"

"If I did something wrong this morning. I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Beth said. She finally looked away from him and concentrated on building a bed from pine needles and moss.

"Clearly I did 'cause you've been ignorin' me all day."

"Daryl, I…

"We wouldn't have done anythin'…you know…that you didn't wanna do."

"What?"

"This mornin'…if I was movin' too fast or…"

"It wasn't that," Beth interjected. "Look, Daryl, we're just two people who happen to be workin' together to survive right now, but…"

"But what? You're right, we barely know each other, but with the world the way it is, I don't think that matters anymore. Not much does matter anymore."

"I know. It's just…I can't come between you and Merle. He's your brother."

"Don't blame this on comin' between me and Merle. We've been fightin' since the day I was born. He'll get over it."

"It's not just that. I told you what happened to my father after my mother…turned. He was torn apart. He wasn't the same man. And I told you I would never let that happen to me. So that means…not gettin' close to people. I know it might be different for you. You might be able to…sleep with someone and not care, but that ain't me. I can't…not care."

"Beth…"

"You don't have to say anythin'. It's best if we just…forget about it and travel together until we get somewhere safe."

Beth turned away from Daryl as Merle sauntered back into the camp. She immediately went back to working on making some kind of comfortable spot to lay on. Daryl couldn't help but stare at her. He had so much more he wanted to say. She was assuming he didn't care, but that wasn't true. He had never cared about a woman before, not really, but things were different. As he had told Beth the day before, everyone needed a reason to survive. She was his.

"You two done with your alone time?" Merle asked.

"Shut up, Merle," Daryl replied.

"Oh, so you can say what you want, but I have to shut up all the time?" Merle questioned, his voice getting louder with every word.

"Please don't argue," Beth said. "It doesn't solve anything."

"So now we're taking advice from sweetheart?"

"She has a name," Daryl stated, tired of hearing Merle refer to her as sweetheart.

"Daryl, just let it go," Beth said.

"No. He needs to stop being an asshole."

"Things were fine before we picked up sweetheart. And what the hell are we goin' out findin' a group for? We were doin' fine by ourselves. You think a group is goin' to accept a bunch of rednecks like us? We find other people and the first thing they're gonna do is kill us and take our weapons."

"We don't know that," Daryl told him.

"You didn't care about findin' other people 'til she came around. But there's somethin' I don't get."

"What's that?" Daryl asked.

"Why you're doin' what she says when you ain't getting' nothin' in return. The only reason I'd be doin' what a woman says if I was getting' a little somethin' in return. You turnin' soft, Daryl? Turnin' into a homo or somethin'?"

"You don't know what you're talkin' about!"

"I'm your brother!" Merle yelled. "We're supposed to make decisions together! We're supposed to survive together!"

"Merle, please keep your voice down," Beth pleaded. "You know the walkers are attracted to loud noises."

"You think you can tell me what to do, sweetheart?" Merle shouted, louder than before. He took a few steps towards her. Daryl stepped in between them.

"We are gonna find others," Daryl said. "It's the only way to survive."

"Then maybe this is where we part ways, little brother."

"You can't do this alone, Merle. No one can."

"Sure I can, little brother. We were born for this kind of life. Not her. I told you, she's walker bait. She ain't nothin' but a dead girl. You should hit that while you still can."

Daryl knew he had two choices. He could do what they always did and punch Merle square in the face. Or he could walk away. He glanced back at Beth. He could see his answer in her eyes.

"You're never gonna be nothin' but a dumb, lonely redneck," Daryl said as he turned away from Merle. He went back to putting up the cans around the perimeter when he heard Beth gasp.

"Merle, don't!" She cried.

The next thing Daryl heard was a gunshot.

Author's Note: I know, it's a cliff-hanger, but I really enjoyed writing this chapter. A lot more drama to come!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

When he heard the sound of the gun, Daryl froze. He expected to feel pain. He expected to drop dead on the ground. Merle was a good shot. He didn't miss. But he wasn't in pain and he didn't fall. He whirled around and saw Merle standing with the gun in his hand. He was staring at something on the ground.

"What the…" Daryl began.

He followed Merle's line of sight. His eyes fell on Beth's body crumpled. Without even thinking, Daryl dropped to his knees beside her. He rolled her so she was on her back. Her eyes were closed; her body limp like a rag doll. He looked her over and finally saw the red stain spreading over her shirt. Daryl lifted her shirt to her ribcage. He could see the bullet hole clearly in her stomach.

"No…no…no," he repeated over and over again.

He placed his hands over her wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. His hand was immediately soaked in blood. He kept looking at her face, hoping she'd open her eyes at any moment. He reached one bloodied hand to her neck, checking for a pulse. He could feel her heart beating, but it was slow.

"Daryl, I…I didn't mean to…" Merle stuttered.

Daryl looked up at his brother. Merle was still standing there with the gun in his hand and a shocked look on his face. Daryl knew his brother hadn't meant to shoot Beth. Merle had meant to shoot him. She had jumped in the way on purpose. Daryl was about to grab his crossbow and shoot his brother dead when he saw a walker approaching Merle from behind. Daryl knew he could kill the walker if he wanted to. He could easily reach his crossbow and shoot an arrow into its brain, but that meant leaving Beth's side. His second option was to tell Merle that a walker was coming, but he didn't. Instead, he scooped Beth up in his arms, grabbed his crossbow, and started to run.

He heard it. He heard the walker take the first bite. He heard Merle scream. He heard the struggle. He heard the takedown. He heard the feasting. And he didn't care. Getting her somewhere safe was all that mattered.

Daryl ran until he felt far enough away from the walker to be safe. He laid Beth down gently on a soft bed of moss on the forest floor. Her shirt was soaked through with blood. Daryl pulled his vest off, the one thing he had kept with him from the very beginning, and pressed it against her wound. He knew he had to stop the bleeding. He checked for her pulse one more time, afraid of what he would find. Her heart was still beating, but it was slower than before.

"Beth," he said. "Come on, Beth. Stay with me."

He could see her eyelids fluttering. With one hand pressing his bunched up vest against her wound, he pushed her matted hair away from her forehead and rubbed her cheek. He watched as her eyes opened once and then closed again.

"Come on, Beth. Open those eyes." Her eyes finally opened, but remained unfocused. "Look at me, Beth. Come on."

After blinking several more times, she finally looked at him. He could see she was in pain. He wished he could take it away.

"Are you hurt?" She asked, her words coming out strained.

"No," he answered. "But you listen to me, I'm gonna get you somewhere safe and you're gonna be ok."

"Leave me," she said.

"What?"

"Leave me here," she repeated. "Leave me and run."

"That ain't gonna happen."

"Merle was right, I'm walker bait."

"Don't talk, save your energy."

"Daryl, you know what you have to do. I'm not gonna make it, but you can." Her voice was wispy. Her breath coming out in short burst.

"Not without you."

"Take my knife. Just do it."

He knew what she wanted him to do. She wanted him to take the knife and stab her in the brain. That's what they had learned they had to do to survive. But he couldn't.

"No," he said.

"I don't wanna turn into one of them. Please," she begged.

"I told you, I'm goin' to get you somewhere safe."

"You know I don't have that much time. But, please…please don't let me turn. Promise me. Don't let me turn."

"You ain't gonna turn 'cause you ain't gonna die."

"You're a bad liar. Please promise me. Please. I don't want to turn. And I don't want to hurt you."

He looked down at her, knowing if she did turn, she would attack him without question. He had done things he wasn't proud of before. He had killed walkers and even bastards like the two men in the barn, but he wasn't sure if he could what she asked. He didn't know if he would be able to drill a knife or shoot an arrow into her brain. But he also understood that fear of turning. Nobody wanted to turn into a walker.

"Daryl, please," she pleaded.

He looked down at her, knowing what he had to say. He would want her to do the same thing.

"I won't let you turn, but you gotta promise me you won't give up on me."

"I'm tired."

"I know, but you can't sleep. Not right now. I gotta get us some place safe. Some place with supplies."

"Are you a doctor now, Daryl?" She asked, her breath getting heavier and her words become more broken and spaced apart as she spoke.

"You shouldn't have done it. You shouldn't have jumped in front of that bullet, Beth."

"You have a chance, Daryl. A chance to survive. I pretend to be strong and tough, but I can't do this alone. You can."

"I don't want to be alone."

"You'll find others and you'll be ok."

"You just gotta keep breathing," he said. "One breath at a time. Just one more breath."

Daryl lifted the soaked vest from her wound. She gasped. It was still bleeding profusely. He knew he had to check. If the bullet went straight through, she might have a chance. If it were lodged in her body somewhere, the odds were against her.

"I gotta roll you over, Beth. I'm sorry."

He rolled her body. She cried out in pain, biting her lip to try to keep as quiet as possible. The last thing they needed was a walker sneaking up on them. He lifted her shirt, trying to find an exit wound. He spotted a bloodied mark. He wiped some of the blood away and saw the exit wound.

"The bullet passed through. There's a chance that if I can get the bleeding under control…" He turned her back and looked at her. Her eyes were closed. "No, no, no. Stay with me. You gotta stay with me. Just keep breathing."

She didn't respond. He checked her pulse. It was getting weaker. Knowing that he could do nothing for her in the middle of the woods, he picked her up as gently as possible. He knew he might cause her more danger by moving her, but staying would certainly be a death sentence. With his crossbow strapped to his back and Beth in his arms, he started running. He headed in the direction of the road, hoping he would find someone or something that could be helpful.

He ran until his lungs were burning and his legs were about to give out. He kept looking at her and checking her pulse to make sure she was still with him. He knew if she was gone, he would have to do the one thing he didn't want to do. If she turned in his arms, he was most likely a goner.

Daryl skidded to a stop when he saw a tall, chain link fence with barbed wire several yards in front of him. He could see a large building behind the fence. He didn't know what it was or whether or not there were people there, but he didn't have a choice. Beth was going to die in his arms if he didn't take a chance. Daryl ran towards the fence. A person on the other side came into view. As Daryl ran, the man on the other side of the fence saw him. Daryl could see the gun in his hand. The man began to approach the fence slowly.

"Please, please help me," Daryl begged as he reached the fence. "Please, she's been shot."

The man on the other side of the fence looked Daryl over. He eyed the crossbow and then looked at Beth.

"Who shot her?" The man asked.

"My brother."

"Where's your brother now?"

"He's gone. Got bit. Please. If she doesn't get some help, she'll die. I don't want no trouble. I just want to help her."

"We don't usually let in strangers."

"Please. She needs help. Please."

The man nodded. "Ok. We're well armed. If there's any trouble…"

"I got it. I'm a dead man. Please, just help her."  
The man yelled over to a small group of people Daryl hadn't even noticed. They were all holding various weapons, pointed at Daryl.

"Open it up!" The man shouted.

A gate began to open. Daryl slipped through. The man approached him, still with his gun in his hand.

"Thank you," Daryl said, knowing that the man was taking a risk inviting them inside.

"We got a doc inside. He can take a look. But if she dies…"

"I know. I'll do it. I promised her I wouldn't let her turn into a walker."

"My name's Rick," the man said as he led the way towards the building in front of them.

"Daryl," Daryl said.

"Welcome to the prison, Daryl."

Author's Note: So…what did y'all think?! Hope this chapter didn't disappoint after the cliffhanger from the last chapter! Thank you for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Rick led Daryl into the prison. He carried Beth as carefully as he could, trying not to jostle her and cause more bleeding. Daryl looked down at her pale face. He was never a religious man, but he felt like praying. As they walked, Daryl heard Rick speak to others as they walked by. He could sense the stares he was being given, the uncertainty in all of their minds. Daryl knew accepting a stranger into their home was cause for concern, but he barely paid them any attention. He concentrated on nothing but Beth. Ordinarily he would have taken a closer look at his surroundings. He would have estimated how many people were there, he would have glanced around for supplies, and he would have paid careful attention to the weapons they possessed. But none of that mattered. He didn't care what the people thought of him or what they had that he might find useful. All he cared about was keeping Beth alive.

"Put her there," Rick said, pointing to a cot in one of the jail cells. "The doctor is on his way."

Daryl placed Beth gently on the bed. He immediately checked her pulse for what felt like the hundredth time. She was barely breathing. Less than a minute later, a man rushed in. He approached Beth, immediately checking for her pulse just as Daryl had just done.

"She's still alive and she's gonna stay that way," Daryl stated.

"What happened?" The man asked.

"She was shot. There's an exit wound. Bullet went right through."

The doctor removed Daryl's bloodied vest that he had used to slow the bleeding and threw it on the floor. He lifted Beth's shirt and examined her wound carefully.

"How long ago did this happen?" The doctor asked.

"Maybe…twenty minutes. Thirty at most."

"How much blood has she lost?"

"A lot," Daryl answered. "But she's a fighter."

"I need clean towels, water, and…a needle and thread."

"You're just gonna sew her up?" Daryl asked.

"What else would you like me to do? Take an x-ray or an MRI so I can see what's going on in there? Well, that ain't an option. The best I can do is sew her up and hope for the best."

Rick gave orders to a woman standing just outside the jail cell. She disappeared, presumably to get the supplies the doctor needed. Daryl looked down at Beth, wishing he could do more for her.

"What's her name?" Rick asked.

"Beth," Daryl answered. "Her name is Beth."

"Let's let the doc work," Rick said. "Come on, let's chat." He motioned for Daryl to follow him out of the cell.

"I ain't leavin' her," Daryl replied.

"The doc needs space to work. Sasha will assist him. You can't do anything for her now."

"I can't…leave her. I promised her if she died, I would…I would take care of things before she turns. I promised her I wouldn't let her turn."

Rick nodded. "I understand. We won't let her turn."

"No. I have to do it. If she…" Daryl couldn't bring himself to say the word die again. "I have to be the one to do it."

"The doc will find you. It takes a few minutes for the body to…reanimate. Trust me, we won't let her turn. We don't let that happen."

"Fine," Daryl mumbled.

He squeezed her hand before placing it carefully on the cot beside her. Daryl wished she would open her eyes just one more time. He wanted to see the magnificent blue color looking back at him, but she didn't move.

With one final look back, he followed Rick out of the cell. Rick led him out of the cellblock and down a long hallway. He brought him to the next cellblock. As he walked by each separate cell, Daryl noticed that each of the cells seemed to be set up as a bedroom. Every one had its own personality. Some had one bed, others had two. Some had pictures on the wall or knickknacks around that made them feel more like home. Daryl realized Rick and the group must have been at the prison for a while. Other people were milling around, some in their cells and others out in the middle of the room like a common area. They all stared at Daryl as Rick paraded him through, but no one spoke. It was clear they respected Rick and his decision to bring Daryl in.

Rick motioned for Rick to sit down in a metal chair at a table in the middle of the room. Although he wanted nothing more than to be with Beth, Daryl did as he was told. He was in Rick's house and he knew he had to follow the rules if he wanted to stay.

"You said your brother shot her?" Rick asked.

Daryl nodded. "He was aiming for me."

"Your own brother tried to shoot you?"

"It's a long story."

"You and Beth…are you…together?"

Daryl wondered what was going on in the other cell block with Beth. Had the woman returned with the supplies the doctor needed? Would sewing up her wound be enough to save her life? If she did die, would Daryl get there in time to do what needed to be done? Rick cleared his throat, causing Daryl to look back at him.

"Sorry…what?"

"Are you Beth together? As a couple?"

Daryl shook his head. "We only met a few days ago," he answered, realizing that it really had only been a few days. In such a short time, he felt like he had his whole world turned upside down and he liked it. "She was alone. Lost her family. She joined me and my brother. We were just…travelin' together."

"Uh-huh," Rick said, seeing clearly that Beth and Daryl were much more than traveling companions.

"We were lookin' for a group. Can't survive out there on your own."

"We have rules here, Daryl."

"I meant it when I said I don't want no trouble. I just want her to get better. If you don't want us to stay with you, then we'll leave as soon as she's well, but I'm a good shot and a good hunter and she ain't bad herself with a knife. She's a lot tougher than she looks."

"You have to be to survive out there," Rick said.

"Yeah."

"Before we decide if we're gonna let you in our group, I gotta ask you three questions."

"Alright."  
"How many walkers have you killed?"

"Stopped coutnin' after twenty. That was months ago."

"How many people have you killed?"

Daryl looked at him as if he wasn't expecting the question.

"One," he answered truthfully.

Rick didn't seem to be phased by Daryl's answer. Daryl wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Why'd you him?"

"I killed one of the men who were tryin' to rape her. That's how we found her. Heard her screamin' in a barn. Two men were attackin' her. I killed one. My brother killed the other. And I don't regret it."

"Ok then. Thank you for being honest."

"What does that mean? I passed your test? We get to stay?"

"I gotta talk to the council first."

"Council?"

"Group of us make the decisions. We don't have just one leader. We'll have to gather everyone up later. I think Glen's out teaching Maggie how we work the fences but when they're done…"

Daryl perked up upon hearing Maggie's name. He suddenly remembered the conversation he and Beth had had in the bedroom before he kissed her. She was talking about her sister. Her sister named Maggie.

"Wait…did you say Maggie?"

"Yes," Rick answered.

"How long has she been here?"

"You know someone named Maggie?"

"No, not me. Beth. Beth's sister's name is Maggie."

"Maggie's been here about a week, I suppose. Said she came from a farm. Lost her whole family there."

"Beth was on her family farm when the place was attacked. Saw her father and brother get bit, but didn't know what happened to her sister. Her name is Maggie."

"I'll send someone to find her," Rick said.

He walked over to one of the cells to the right side of the room. He spoke to a boy who was reading a comic book on his bed. When the boy emerged from the cell, he was wearing a sheriff's hat. Daryl guessed he had to be about twelve or thirteen. He had a pistol strapped to his hip. Daryl watched as the boy left the cell block in search of Maggie.

"I'd like to check on Beth," Daryl said.

"Doc will take good care of her."

"What kind of doctor is he?" Daryl asked.

"Pediatrician, but he's good. We probably would have lost a lot more people if it weren't for him."

"How long have you been here? In the prison?"

"Six months," Rick answered. "We got a good system. Gates keep the walkers away. We got some vehicles for supply runs. We're startin' to grow vegetables, raise some animals."

"How many people were in your group when you started?"

"About ten. But we get new people all the time. We're probably about fifty now."

"How many people do you turn away?"

"Depends on their answers to our three questions and whether or not they'll be useful members of our group. We don't accept anyone who is goin' to disrupt what we have. We've started a good thing here, Daryl. It's the safest most of us have been in a while."

Daryl nodded. "I told ya, I ain't here to cause trouble."

"Good."

Rick looked up at he saw the boy walk into the cell block with a woman behind him. She raced over to the table Rick and Daryl were sitting at. They both stood.

"You know my sister? Beth? Where is she?" The woman asked.

"She's with the doctor, Maggie. She's been shot," Rick explained.

Maggie looked at Daryl with anger in her eyes. "You got her shot? You son of a bitch!" She lashed out, pummeling Daryl with her fists. Daryl didn't fight back. He felt like he deserved it. He deserved to be blamed for Beth's accident. It was his own brother who shot her.

"Woah, woah," Rick exclaimed, jumping between them. He wrapped his arms around Maggie's waist and pulled her back. "I'll take you to her."

"You son of a bitch!" She shouted as Rick dragged her away.

Daryl stayed at the table, burying his head in his hands. He told himself he wouldn't cry. Daryl Dixon did not cry. His father taught him that. Men did not cry and crying never solved anything anyway. But even as he told himself that, he felt a tear roll down his cheek.

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, but I hope everyone is glad to see Maggie! Thank you for the amazing reviews from the last chapter. I'm sorry to have kept everyone on the edge of their seats for so long!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

He kept picturing her long, blonde hair blowing freely in the wind. Her pale skin soaking up the morning sun. Her blue eyes staring back at him like she had known him for one hundred years. Her fingers stained with the residue from the berries. That had been the first moment he had really seen her in the daylight. That had been the first moment he knew something about her was different. And it wasn't just about her looks. Somehow he knew even then that she would change him.

Daryl sat in the uncomfortable folding chair in the middle of the cellblock, not caring about what was going on around him. People stopped to stare at him, some talking about him in whispers, but he didn't move. It had been nearly an hour since Rick had dragged Maggie away and brought her to see Beth. Daryl had no idea what was going on. He didn't know if Beth was alive or dead. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know.

"She your girlfriend?"

Daryl looked across the table. The kid who had gone out to get Maggie earlier was sitting across from him in the chair that Rick had occupied. The kid took off his sheriff's hat and placed it on the table as if he was about to start interrogating Daryl like an actual sheriff.

"What?" Daryl asked, not sure if he heard him correctly.

"That blonde girl who was shot. Her name's Beth, right? Is she your girlfriend? I'm only asking because she seems kind of young and you seem kind of old," the boy said.

"No. She's not my girlfriend," Daryl answered.

"Is she your sister then?"

Daryl shook his head. "We're not…family."

"My dad says the people we're with in this world are more important than any family we had before."

"Your dad's seems like a pretty smart guy. Is he here in the prison?"

"You met him already. Rick's my dad. He was a sheriff before all this happened."

"That explains the hat," Daryl commented.

"I'm Carl."

"Daryl. You like living here, Carl? In the prison?"

"It's hard work, but it's better than living out there. At least here we're safe. You gonna be part of our group?"

Daryl shrugged. "Maybe."

"You a good shot?" Carl asked, pointing to Daryl's crossbow on his back. Daryl almost forgot he was still wearing it. His bow had become a part of who he was. It was like another appendage.

"Yeah, you could say that," Daryl answered.

Carl took a gun from a holster at his hip and put it on the table.

"Me too."

"Kind of young for a gun, aren't you?"

Carl shook his head. "Not in this world."

Rick appeared in the doorway to the cellblock. Daryl immediately stood up, waiting to hear whatever news Rick might have.

"She's still alive," Rick said. Daryl breathed a sigh of relief. "Doctor says it's touch and go because of all the blood she lost, but she's alive for now."

Daryl barely waited for Rick to finish speaking. As soon as he heard the word 'alive,' he had to see for himself. Daryl raced through the cellblock, back down the hall, and to the cell Beth was being kept in. The doctor was standing just outside, wiping the blood off his hands. Maggie was sitting on the floor beside Beth's cot, holding Beth's hand. She looked up as Daryl burst in.

"She's alive," Maggie told him.

Daryl looked over at Beth. Her eyes were still closed, her skin pale. They had changed her clothes, but Daryl could still see an immense amount of blood on the floor.

"She's strong," Daryl said.

"Yes, she is," Maggie agreed. "I never knew just how strong until all of this happened."

"She'll make it," Daryl assured her, trying more to convince himself than Maggie. "I'm sorry. For what happened to her. I never meant for her to get hurt. We were just…"

Maggie looked over at him. He could see the anger was gone from her eyes.

"Rick told me what you did for her. How you killed the men who were attacking her when you first met. You saved her. Thank you."

"I did what anyone would do."

"No you didn't. You didn't have to help her. These days, most people wouldn't. I'll never forget that."

Daryl nodded, not used to having people tell him about the good things he had done in life.

"She never stopped thinkin' about you," Daryl said. "Wonderin' if you were still alive. She was always thinkin' about you and your family. Sounds like your father taught you both a lot of skills…and values."

"She showed you her knife throwing, didn't she?" Maggie asked with a smile.

"Yeah, she did."

"Our father was a good man." She paused, looking back at Beth. "Are you and she…together?"

"No. Not really."

"Not really?"

"We barely know each other," Daryl admitted, even though he knew that wasn't true. In such a short time, he had gotten to know her better than he had ever known anyone and he cared about her more than he had ever cared about anyone before.

"In this new world we live in, I don't think that matters." She paused. "I get it."

"Get what?"

"I don't know you, Daryl, but I can tell you that you are definitely not Beth's type. But I get why she'd be attracted to you. And for what it's worth, I'm happy to know that my sister has someone to protect her. Someone who cares about her and who she cares about. It's important to have that, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

Rick appeared in the doorway.

"We should…close the door," Rick said.

Maggie nodded. She leaned over Beth and kissed her forehead.

"What do you mean, close the door?" Daryl asked.

"We gotta protect the others," Rick explained. "If she…dies and…turns before we have the chance to…do what we need to do, we gotta keep the cell door closed. Protects everyone."

"I'm not leavin' her," Daryl stated. "If she dies…I'll take care of it."

"That's not a good idea," Rick replied. "If you fall asleep or you don't realize she's died and she turns faster than we thought or…"

"I ain't leavin' her in here by herself. When she wakes up, she ain't gonna know where she is. I ain't gonna let her wake up alone."

"You can be outside the door," Rick said.

Daryl shook his head. "No."

"Look, we had a woman get bit last month after she wouldn't leave her husband. Two of them both turned and got out of the cellblock before anybody noticed. Wreaked havoc for over an hour before we were able to get everything under control. Almost lost a few other people. We ain't gonna let that happen again."

"Then you can lock me in there with her," Daryl said.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Rick insisted.

"I ain't givin' you a choice."

Rick turned to Maggie. "You ok with this?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think if anyone can make Beth want to live, it's him."

Maggie gave Daryl a weak smile as he sat down on the ground next to Beth's bed in the same spot Maggie had just occupied. She stepped out of the cell, wiping a tear from her cheek. Daryl couldn't help but notice a young, Asian man put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned against him. As Daryl focused his attention back on Beth, he heard the sound of the cell door being closed and locked.

Daryl waited for everyone to walk away before he covered Beth's hand with his, linking his fingers with hers. It was so unlike him. He was the kind of guy who needed to be out doing something. He should have been keeping watch at the gate or out there killing walkers. He wasn't the type of guy who sat at someone's bedside; especially a girl he barely knew. But he sat. He sat because he somehow knew she would do the same thing for him.

Hours went by. Daryl just held her hand and waited. Waited for her to wake up, waited for her to die. He didn't know which. The doctor came in twice, checking her bandage and explaining again that he had done everything he could. Maggie had visited for a while, whispering to her that everything was going to be alright. A few others came and introduced themselves to Daryl, but he barely paid attention.

After what seemed like an eternity, but what was really a few hours, Daryl finally felt it. She squeezed his hand.

"Hey, hey," Daryl said. "Beth? Open your eyes." Her hand went limp again, but he wasn't about to give up. "Come on, Beth. We're somewhere safe. We're with good people. We made it. Now open those beautiful blue eyes for me."

Her eyelids slowly fluttered open. She blinked several times before finally looking up at him. He could tell her mind was trying to make sense of what was happening. She finally focused only him and managed a small smile.

"Hey yourself," she whispered. She looked around and tried to sit up. She took a deep, painful breath.

"Take it easy," he said. "You were shot, remember? Let me take a look at the wound."

He lifted her shirt and looked at the bandage covering the gunshot. The bandage was mostly free of blood. It looked like sewing it up did the trick.

"How is it?" She asked as Daryl pulled her shirt back down.

"Looks good," he said. "Doctor sewed you up nicely."

"Doctor? Are we at a hospital?" She questioned, confused.

"Not quite."

"Where are we?"

"A prison."

"You get us locked up, Daryl?"

He smiled. "Found a group just like you wanted. They live in a prison. From what I can tell, it's a safe place."

"Are they good people?"

"Yeah, I think so."

She closed her eyes and smiled. "That's good. How did I get here?"

"Carried you."

"Where's Merle?" She asked.

Daryl looked down at the ground. He hadn't allowed himself to think of his brother, but suddenly he remembered what he had done. He may not have killed his brother, but he didn't save his brother either.

"He's gone."

"Daryl, I…"

"There's someone here, Beth," he interrupted. He did not want to talk about Merle. "There's someone here you've been lookin' for."

She looked up at him. "Who?"

"Your sister, Maggie," he answered. She gasped. Tears sprang to her eyes. "I'll go get her."

As he stood, Beth kept hold of his hand. She held on tightly. He looked down at her.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead before heading off in search of Maggie.

Author's Note: So…she's alive! That should make everybody happy! Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Beth!" Maggie exclaimed, skidding to a halt in front of Beth's cell. Seeing her sister immediately brought tears to Beth's eyes. Maggie ran into the room. She sat down on the edge of Beth's bed and immediately threw her arms around her, crushing her body against Beth's. "I can't believe you're alive.

"Maggie, gunshot wound," Beth gasped as Maggie leaned on her injury.

"I'm sorry," Maggie said, shifting her weight off of Beth. "I just can't believe you're here."

"I know."

"I can't believe you got away from the farm and that you made it and that we found each other again. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that we got separated and..." she rambled.

"The important thing is we did find each other," Beth assured her. Maggie squeezed her hand. "How did you find this place?"

"I just started runnin' from the farm. I tried to find you, but I was afraid the walkers got you and..."

"It's ok. I tried to find you too."

"I just started walking," Maggie explained. "I tried to get as far from the farm as possible. That's when Glen found me."

"Glen?"

Beth noticed Maggie blush. "He lives here at the prison. He was out on a run with a few others looking for supplies. If they hadn't found me, I don't know what I would have done."

"Something tells me you like him."

Maggie didn't bother to deny it. "Well, what about Daryl?"

"What about Daryl?"

"Do you like him?"

"No. Of course not," Beth answered quickly.

"Really? Because I see the way he looks at you, Beth." Maggie said.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing's going on. He helped me out of a bad situation and now we're just…"

"Just what?"

"Just...traveling companions," she finished.

"Does he know that? He wouldn't leave your side, Beth once you got here. You know, in case you...didn't make it…he wouldn't leave. Even when Rick practically ordered him to leave your cell."

"Who's Rick?"

"He's one of the members of the council around here."  
"Council?"

"It's a long story. When you're feeling better, I'll tell you all about it. But you're changing the subject. I think you and Daryl are way more than just traveling companions."

"I made him promise to not let me turn into a walker. He was just doing what he promised he would do."

"It's a lot more than that. And I know you feel something for him, too."

"I don't…"

"Beth, I'm your sister," Maggie interrupted. "I've known you for nineteen years. I know when you're lying. And I know when you're interested in a guy. I watched you go through those awkward first boy crush teenage years, remember?"

Beth sighed. Maybe it was because she was woozy from losing so much blood or maybe because it had been so long since she had seen Maggie and she was just happy to see her alive, but Beth knew it was time to come clean.

"I like him, ok?"

"Ok. And…"

"And...I don't know."

"If it's the age you're worried about, Beth, I don't think it matters anymore. If he's good to you and treats you well and respects you and will protect you, I think that's all you can ask for."

"He does. He does all of those things."

"But…" Maggie prompted, knowing there was something more.

"But look what happened to daddy."

"What do you mean?"

"He was devastated when mom was bit. It was like he stopped living. I don't want that to happen."

"So that's why you're afraid to fall in love? Because you're afraid of loss?"

"Daddy would say in the world we live in, it's stupid not to be afraid of loss."

"And Daddy's right. But you can't let that stop you from falling in love, Beth. It's the best feeling in the world. Maybe someone like Daryl isn't exactly the person you thought you'd fall in love with, but I'd say you're already in too deep to back out now."

It was as if with the mention of his name, Daryl appeared behind them at the cell door. He had wanted to give Maggie and Beth time to reunite, but he didn't want to be without her for too long. She still wasn't exactly out of the woods.

"Talkin' 'bout me?" Daryl asked with a grin.

"Maybe," Maggie answered. She looked down at her little sister, realizing that she wasn't so little anymore. Beth was a full-fledged woman, trying to find her way in a messed up world. She glanced over at Daryl, noticing the look in his eye. He was completely concentrating on Beth and nothing else. Maggie smiled. "I'll let you get some rest. I'll stop by later to check on you."  
"Thanks, Maggie," Beth replied.

Maggie leaned over and gave Beth a kiss on the cheek before standing up. As she exited the cell, she put her hand on Daryl's shoulder.

"Take care of her," she whispered.

He nodded and she walked away.

"Hey," Beth said to him.

"Hey yourself. Thought you might be hungry."

"Thank you."

Suddenly, after the conversation with Maggie, she felt shy around him. She knew he had feelings for her. He had made that clear when he kissed her in the bedroom. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to admit that she had feelings back. She felt like a teenage girl on a first date. Only she never imagined she'd be shot and sleeping in a prison on a first date.

He walked into the cell, carrying a plate of food. Beth attempted to sit up, but immediately her body protested. She bit her lip to keep back a sob. Daryl practically dropped the plate in an effort to help her.

"It's ok," he said, immediately kneeling by her side. He placed the plate on a nearby chair in the cell. "Let me help you."

He grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed and folded it up into a small bundle. He gently lifted her head and placed the blanket below her. He lowered her head slowly back down to the makeshift pillow.

"You ok?" He asked after letting her get used to the new position.

"Yeah."

He lifted her shirt slightly, checking the wound to make sure it hadn't started bleeding again from all of the movement. The gauze still looked clean of blood.

"Am I going to make it?" She asked, half jokingly.

"You're going to be just fine."

"What's for dinner?" She asked.

He picked up the plate from the chair and dragged the chair next to her bed. He sat down.

"Carrots and potatoes. Rick said they grow their own here."

"Rick sounds like an important man," Beth said. "That's' the second time I've heard his name."

"He's the one who let us into the prison. Without him…"

"I wouldn't be alive," she finished. Daryl brushed a piece of hair away from her face. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't found the prison and if Rick hadn't let them in.

"I wouldn't have let you die," he said quietly.

With tears threatening to fall, Beth focused on the plate of food. "Looks good."

Beth went to grab the fork off the plate, but Daryl beat her to it. He picked up the fork and stabbed a piece of cooked carrot with it. He brought it to Beth's mouth. She locked her eyes with his as she took the carrot in her mouth. He continued to feed her, even though he knew she was capable of doing it herself. There was just something sensuous about feeding her.

After finishing the carrots and most of the potatoes, Beth pushed the fork away. She wasn't sure her body could handle and more food.

"What do you think?" She asked, after Daryl had put the plate back on the floor.

"About what?"

"About this place?"

He shrugged. "It'll be…different being part of a group, but I think this place is safe."

"Maggie seems to like it here."

"Yeah, she does."

"But, do you?" She asked.

"Don't think it matters much what I think."

"Of course it does."

"Your sister's here, Beth."

"I trust you, Daryl. If you said this place wasn't good, I'd listen to you. I'd follow you anywhere."

He smiled at the notion and noticed as she yawned.

"You should get some rest," he said.

"Will you stay with me?"

He nodded. Beth scooted over, trying to ignore the pain that washed over her. She pushed her body as close to the wall as she could get.

"What are you doing?" Daryl asked. He was planning on dragging over a chair and sitting beside her while she fell asleep.

"Making room for you."

Daryl suddenly had a flashback to sleeping next to her in the bed after Merle had attempted to attack her. It felt like it had happened years ago, not just a day before. He remembered how good it felt to have his arms around her and how peaceful he felt sleeping next to her. The cot she was on was small, but Daryl lay down on his side next to her. He put his arm around her, being sure to avoid her gunshot wound.

"You ok?" He asked.

"I'm so much better than ok," she answered. "Will you be here when I wake up?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Like before, he waited until he was sure she was asleep before finally falling asleep himself.

Author's Note: So, this chapter was never meant to be. I always try to write a story from beginning to end before I start publishing it so that I know I will actually finish it (can't tell you how many stories I have that I've never finished). Originally, Chapter 16 was supposed to be the final chapter. But, after reading all of the wonderful reviews you guys have left, I figured I should write at least one more chapter before the final chapter. With that being said, the next chapter will be the final chapter.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Three weeks later

Daryl was pacing the fence back and forth with his crossbow in his hand. He constantly scanned the edge of the woods, looking for any sign of danger. Glen was on patrol on another portion of fence. Like Daryl, he had his weapon ready.

Over the last few weeks, Daryl had acclimated remarkably well to life at the prison. Unlike that first night, he didn't feel like he should run. He felt like he and Beth were exactly where they should be. Daryl had proven to be a valuable member, using his hunting skills to get rabbits, squirrels, and deer from the woods. He did his duty keeping guard on the fences, and even started to become a confidant for Rick.

Beth had gotten stronger with every passing day. For the first two days, she didn't move off the cot. Daryl would spend time with her in the cell, taking turns with Maggie. It amazed him how much you could learn about a person when you could do nothing else but talk. He watched as Maggie and Beth reconnected, reminiscing about the past and looking towards the future. Watching them together made Daryl realize how much of a messed up relationship he and his brother had. He came to realize they had never been close, not like two siblings should be.

After she finally felt up to walking around, Beth spent most of her time getting to know most of the members of the group. She talked to them, learning their stories. Everyone had a history. She helped out in small ways, tending to the garden, keeping an eye on some of the younger children, cooking meals, doing laundry. She kept trying to do more, but Daryl kept insisting she had to take it easy.

It was at night Daryl longed to be with her. They had both claimed cells next to each other. Beth immediately set to work making hers look like an actual bedroom. On more than one occasion, Daryl was tempted to sneak into her cell at night and lay down with her. He kept replaying their kiss over and over in his head, wanting a repeat. But she was still healing and it didn't help that there was always someone around.

"Replacements are here," Glen said, approaching Daryl at his spot at the fence.

Daryl looked towards the prison. Tyrese and Sasha were walking towards them with their weapons.

"We got this," Tyrese said as he and Sasha took their positions.

"Have fun," Glen replied.

He and Daryl began walking back towards the prison.

"So, what's going on with you and Beth?" Glen asked once they were out of earshot of Tyrese and Sasha.

"What's going on with you and Maggie?" Daryl retorted.

"We…ah…we've been spending some time together," Glen answered with a smile. "She's an amazing woman."

"Yeah, so's Beth," Daryl said.

Just as he mentioned her name, Beth emerged from the prison. Maggie was right behind her. They were both laughing about something. When Daryl saw Maggie catch Glen's eye, her face immediately changed. He could see a certain light fill her eyes, a smile taking up her whole face. Beth looked over at her sister and giggled.

"Ladies," Glen said as they approached each other.

"Any trouble at the fences?" Maggie asked.

"Nope. Not when we're on watch," Glen answered.

"You…ah…want to take a walk?" Maggie wondered.

"Sure," Glen agreed. "Catch you later Daryl."

Glen grabbed Maggie's hand and they walked off together. Beth smiled as she watched them go.

"They're cute together," she commented.

"I guess," Daryl agreed.

She smiled. "Come on, I want to show you somethin'."

Just as Maggie and Glen had done before, Beth took Daryl's hand. It had been so long since he had any physical contact with her, he forgot how smooth her skin felt. He walked with her across the grounds, heading in the direction of the gardens. Beth stopped them just as they reached the chicken wire they used to protect the vegetables they were growing from animals. Beth let go of Daryl's hand and knelt in the dirt.

"I planted these three days ago. They were the seeds you, Michone, and the others brought back from the last run for supplies. They're already starting to sprout. We're going to have fresh lettuce before we know it."

"Your father teach you how to garden?" Daryl asked.

"My mother actually. She was the one with the green thumb in the family."

"Well, thank goodness you inherited it." Beth stared at the sprouts as if staring at them would make them grow. Daryl could sense something had changed in her. "Everything ok?"

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"About what?"

"About Merle."

They hadn't spoken about him in the three weeks since they had gotten to the prison. Daryl had replayed the moment Merle had gotten bit a dozen times in his head. Could he have saved Merle and Beth at the same time? The question would always haunt him.

"You don't have to be sorry," Daryl assured her.

Beth stood up so she as facing him.

"I do. He was your brother. If it wasn't for me, he'd still be alive and you would both be together and…"

"Merle was nothin' but a dumbass redneck. If that walker hadn't done him in, somethin' else would have. And I would have gone right down with him. Findin' you, Beth, was the best thing that ever happened to me. You saved my life."

"You're wrong. You saved mine."

"That bullet was meant for me," he stated.

"That's not what I meant. If you hadn't killed those men in the barn, I wouldn't be here."

"You don't know that. You're pretty tough."

"Maybe. Maybe I would have survived, but I never would have found this place. I never would have found Maggie again."

"Then I guess we both saved each other."

Beth wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. She leaned her cheek against his chest, letting a tear roll down the bridge of her nose. Daryl reciprocated the hug, holding her close. She tipped her head back so she could look into his eyes.

"I was wrong before when I said you shouldn't care about anyone in this world. My father nearly didn't survive when he lost my mother, but not because he was a weak man, but because he was a man in love. I want to feel that, Daryl. I don't want to be afraid to love someone. And maybe it's crazy and maybe I'm making a huge mistake, but…I…I…"

"Beth," he interjected, silencing her.

"Yes?"

"Just shut up," he growled.

He crashed his lips to hers. His hands roamed her back, getting tangled in her hair. She managed to loop her arms around his neck as they kissed. She could feel a jolt of excitement flowing through her. It was like nothing she had ever felt before.

Daryl tasted her greedily. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to have her soft lips pressed against hers. He tried to take notes about how it felt and how she tasted so that he would never again forget. He never wanted to let her go.

"I think I'm falling in love with you," Beth whispered as they parted to catch their breath. Daryl bent, leaning his forehead against hers. They both had their eyes closed, panting.

"Good. Because I am in love with you," Daryl replied.

Beth opened her eyes and smiled. Another tear leaked from the corner of her eye.

"Say it again," she begged.

"No," he responded with a smile. "I want to hear you say it."

"I love you," she said. This time it was she who initiated the kiss. It was long and slow, the two of them taking their time getting to know one another. Beth broke it off, taking a step away from him. Daryl looked at her like a wounded puppy, wondering if he had done something wrong to cause her to back off.

"What is it?" He questioned.

"I'm still waitin' for you to say it."

"You're gonna turn me into a softie."

"Say it or I ain't kissin' you again."

"Oh yeah? Is that a challenge?"

Beth smiled. She arched her eyebrow and started to run. Daryl chased after her. It didn't take him long to catch her, mostly because she was trying to get caught. He scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Daryl, put me down!" She cried. She beat her fists against his back playfully.

"I think you owe me a kiss."

"Well I can't kiss you from up here."

Daryl bent and placed her gently on the ground. He hovered over her, careful to keep his weight off of her. Her shirt rode up, revealing the bandage she still had over her wound.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" He asked, suddenly concerned that their rough housing had caused her pain.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Daryl."

"Ok. Then kiss me."

"Fine. But just one more."

"I think you mean one more in a long line of many," he corrected.

"If you're lucky."

"Oh, I am."

When they kissed again, it was like nothing else in the world mattered.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has followed this story. I know some of you were disappointed that this was the last chapter, but I honestly feel like I told the story I wanted to tell. Hopefully this story helped fill the void of new episodes over the last few months. Can't wait for the season premiere this Sunday! I'm really hoping Beth and Daryl get reunited! Thanks for reading and be on the lookout for some more Bethyl stories in the future!


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